DETECTION AND TYPING OF SALMONELLA SP. OF TRADITIONAL CHICKENS AT THE POULTRY SLAUGHTERHOUSE OF THE CENTRAL MARKET OF GAROUA IN BENOUE, NORTHERN REGION OF CAMEROON

In order to assess the prevalence of Salmonella contaminations in the city of Garoua, this study investigated the research and serotyping of Salmonella strains within the traditional chicken industry at the poultry slaughterhouse of the central market of Garoua in Benoue, Northern Region of Cameroon. Still very present throughout Cameroon, this structure can represent a source of contamination as well as a zoonotic hazard. For this purpose, the study was carried out on 400 chicken carcasses and analyses were performed on cloacal swabs, by bacteriological culture and confirmed by biochemical analyses and PCR to detect the invA gene specific to Salmonella sp. Thus, 05 strains of Salmonella were isolated, a contamination prevalence of 1.3% observed. Serotyping of the isolates resulted in the identification of five different serovars, including Hadar, Idikan, Mbandaka, Infantis and Anatum (n=1, 20% each). These serotypes developed resistance to tetracycline, amikacin, nalidixic acid, Kanamycin and cephalothin. Antibiotics available on the market at low cost and used without precise diagnosis and in insufficient or overdosed doses in the veterinary environment, both in food and for the treatment of bacterial infections. This study has an important impact because it showed for the first time the presence of Salmonella in the traditional chicken industry in the Northern Region of Cameroon. The project also highlighted the role that this type of structure can have in the maintenance and circulation of pathogens within animal and human populations. Indeed, in view of the weak biosecurity measures applied, family farming systems represent an important risk factor for the spread of Salmonella in both animals and humans, and could be resistant to certain antibiotics.