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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1515576
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights in Infectious Agents and Disease: 2023/2024 View all 31 articles
Comparative Genomic and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Salmonella Strains Isolated from Pork and Human Sources in Sichuan, China
Provisionally accepted
Haojiang Zuo 1*
Yang Yang 2 Minchuan Su 1
Huang Weifeng 3 Jian Wang 1 Gaopeng Lei 3 Ximei Kong 2 Peng Chen 1 Yun Leng 1 Qiwu Yuan 2 Yuanyuan Zhao 1 Yanfang Miao 2 Ming Li 2 Xin Xu 1 Shihui Lu 4 Hui Yang 1 Lvbo Tian 5- 1 Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 2 Chengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 3 Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 4 Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, Guangx, China
- 5 Sichuan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Salmonella detection in retail pork is increasing, yet studies on its antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles and genomic characteristics remain limited. Moreover, it is still unclear whether certain Salmonella sequence types (STs) are consistently or rarely associated with pork as a transmission source. Sichuan province, the largest pork-production region in China, provides a critical setting to investigate these dynamics. In this study, 213 Salmonella strains isolated from pork and human sources (2019–2021) underwent phenotypic AMR testing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Resistance profiling revealed a higher prevalence of AMR in the pork-derived strains, particularly to veterinary-associated antibiotics. We identified STs that were not observed in pork in this study, such as ST23 (S. Oranienburg) and the poultry-commonly associated ST32 (S. Infantis), suggesting potential non-pork transmission routes for these Salmonella STs. To quantify sequence type diversity within each sample source, we introduced the sequencing type index (ST index = number of different STs/ total isolates). The ST index was 32% (49/153) for human-derived isolates and 20% (12/60) for pork-derived isolates. PERMANOVA analysis revealed significant differences in the structural composition of sequence types between human- and pork-derived isolates (P=0.001), indicating that pork may harbor specific Salmonella STs more frequently. These findings highlight the role of pork as a reservoir for certain Salmonella STs, while also implying potential non-pork transmission pathways. The ST index represents a novel metric for assessing Salmonella diversity across different sample sources, offering better understanding into genetic variation and transmission dynamics.
Keywords: Salmonella, antimicrobial resistance, whole genome sequencing, human, pork
Received: 23 Oct 2024; Accepted: 17 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zuo, Yang, Su, Weifeng, Wang, Lei, Kong, Chen, Leng, Yuan, Zhao, Miao, Li, Xu, Lu, Yang and Tian. 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:
Haojiang Zuo, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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