| Summary: | The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasingly common across the globe and aquatic ecosystems could be considered a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study aimed to determine prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of the potential pathogenic bacteria <i>Salmonella</i> spp. and <i>Vibrio</i> spp. in bivalve molluscs intended for human consumption, collected over a period of 19 months along the northern coast of Apulia region. The AMR profile was also determined in non-pathogenic <i>Vibrio</i> species, common natural inhabitants of seawater and a useful indicator for the surveillance of AMR in the environment. The current study presents data on the AMR of 5 <i>Salmonella</i> and 126 <i>Vibrio</i> isolates by broth microdilution MIC. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in one S. Typhimurium strain towards sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, tetracycline, gentamicin, and ampicillin and in 41.3% of the <i>Vibrio</i> strains, mostly towards sulphonamides, penicillin, and cephems. All <i>Vibrio</i> isolates were sensitive to azithromycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, gentamicin, streptomycin, amikacin, and levofloxacin. The AMR phenomenon in the investigated area is not highly worrying but not entirely negligible; therefore, in-depth continuous monitoring is suggested. Results concerning the antibiotic agents without available specific clinical breakpoints could be useful to upgrade the MIC distribution for <i>Vibrio</i> spp. but, also, the establishment of interpretative criteria for environmental species is necessary to obtain a more complete view of this issue.
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