Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance in Salmonella spp. isolated from food in Cambodia

In recent years, antibiotic resistance has become an increasing problem in bacteria worldwide, including Salmonella. This means that in some parts of the world, Salmonella infections have become a more serious health problem due to ineffective treatment methods. The main objective of this project is to provide better information on the epidemiology and molecular biology of S. enterica with a focus on the spread of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains in Cambodia. The project focuses on food (different types of meat and vegetables) sold in traditional markets in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and will generate increased knowledge about Salmonella in raw food, the extent to which collected Salmonella bacteria are resistant to different antibiotics and links between resistant strains from different parts of the food value chain. The project will also compare the efficiency of detecting Salmonella by traditional culture techniques and metagenomics, and generate data on the presence of genes that can spread antimicrobial resistance. Several analytical methods are included in this study, such as traditional bakery culture, molecular and serological methods and genome sequencing.