Risk factors assessment and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolates from apparently healthy and diarrheal dogs in Baghdad, Iraq

The dog was an essential source of Salmonella (S.) transmission. One hundred sixty-five rectal swabs were taken from apparently healthy dogs (90) and diarrheal dogs (75) in Baghdad province, Iraq. The Salmonella species was found using standard bacterial culture, biochemical tests, an analytical profile index (API-20), the VITEK2 compact system, and serotyping. Salmonella isolates were screened using the disc diffusion technique for susceptibility to ten antimicrobials. Findings indicated that the Salmonella species prevalence rate was 6.06% from dogs’ fecal samples, with three species identified; the most common serovar was S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, and S. Muenchen, which was isolated for the first time from dogs in Iraq. Statistically significant risk factors concerning the diarrheal state, breed, feeding, and body condition were found. High occurrences were in diarrheal dogs (10.66%) compared to non-diarrheic dogs (2.22%); the large dog breed had a higher isolate rate of Salmonella than the small breed. Thin body condition dogs were more at risk than fatty dogs, and the dogs consuming uncooked feed had a higher percentage of Salmonella isolates and were more at risk than those consuming mixed food. Non-significant differences were found according to the gender, age, and educational status of dog owners. Salmonella isolates exhibited high resistance to cefotaxime, ampicillin, azithromycin, gentamycin, and tetracycline but were sensitive to norfloxacin. All the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) except S. Muenchen. In conclusion, diarrheal and apparently healthy dogs carry and shed resistant Salmonella spp., a potential public health risk