ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
This article is part of the Research TopicAntimicrobial Resistance in Foodborne PathogensView all 4 articles
Genomic Insights into the Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Salmonella in Chicken Eggs in Saudi Arabia
Provisionally accepted
Amani T. Alsufyani1
Rashed Bin Jdduah2
Fahad Alreshoodi1
Mohammed Alarawi3Sulaiman M. Alajel1Saleh I. Alaqeel1
Elaf Alshdokhi1
Ashwaq Alhamed1Hatim Almutairi1
Khaloud Alzahrani1Norah Alotaibi1
Abdullah Alajlan1Khalid S. Almaary2
TURKI ALDAWOUD2
Takashi Gojobori3
Séamus Fanning4Ahmad M. Aljohani1
Lenah E. Mukhtar1*- 1Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 2King Saud University, College of Science, Department of Botany and Microbiology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 3King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- 4University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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This study provides the first comprehensive genomic assessment of Salmonella in chicken eggs in Saudi Arabia, integrating conventional microbiological detection with whole-genome sequencing to deliver a detailed picture of prevalence, serovar diversity, and the genetic determinants of virulence and antimicrobial resistance. A total of 260 eggs were analyzed, revealing the presence of Salmonella in 9% of the samples. Contamination occurred more frequently on eggshells than within egg contents, highlighting the significant impact of environmental exposure during handling and distribution. Twelve serovars were identified, with S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium as the most predominant. Eggshell isolates demonstrated enhanced serovar variety but harboured fewer resistance determinants, while isolates obtained from egg contents were linked to clinically significant serovars and a greater prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes, indicating a greater public health concern. Whole-genome study identified multidrug resistance genes, such as plasmid-mediated β-lactamases and Restricted - ﻣﻘﯾد fluoroquinolone resistance determinants, underscoring the possible transmission of resistant bacteria across the food chain. These findings highlight the dual risk of external and internal egg contamination and stress the necessity of genomic surveillance to enhance food safety risk assessment, targeted interventions, and antimicrobial resistance monitoring within a One Health framework in Saudi Arabia.
Keywords: antibiotics, Antimicrobial susceptibility, Chicken eggs, Genomics, Salmonella, salmonellosis, Serovar
Received: 04 Dec 2025; Accepted: 30 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Alsufyani, Bin Jdduah, Alreshoodi, Alarawi, Alajel, Alaqeel, Alshdokhi, Alhamed, Almutairi, Alzahrani, Alotaibi, Alajlan, Almaary, ALDAWOUD, Gojobori, Fanning, Aljohani and Mukhtar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lenah E. Mukhtar
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