REGULAR ARTICLES Multidrug-resistant Salmonellae isolated in Japanese quails reared in Abeokuta, Nigeria Ezekiel O. Omoshaba 1 & F. O. Olufemi 1 & O. E. Ojo 1 & A. O. Sonibare 2 & M. Agbaje 1 Received: 2 July 2016 /Accepted: 3 July 2017 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017 Abstract Salmonellosis is a major bacterial disease causing huge economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. This study was carried out to determine the period prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella enterica in Japanese quails in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Four hundred cloacal swabs of quail birds were collected from 4 locations within Abeokuta. Salmonella was isolated from the samples using conventional methods for selective isolation of Salmonella and biochemical identification. Isolates were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction assays for the amplification and detection of Salmonella-associated virulence genes (invA and stn) using specific primers. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion meth- od. In all, Salmonella was isolated from 14 (3.5%) cloacal swabs. All 14 isolates possessed invA and stn genes. The Salmonella isolates showed resistance to tetracycline (100%), doxycycline (100%), ampicillin (100%), sulphamethoxazole (92.9%), nalidixic acid (85.8%), ceftazi- dime (78.6%), neomycin (64.3%), streptomycin (50%) and gentamycin (28.6%) but all the isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin. The isolates were resistant to at least three an- timicrobials indicating multidrug resistance. The results con- cluded that Japanese quails harbour multidrug-resistant Salmonella which could be transmitted to humans through consumption of contaminated food or by direct and indirect contact with the carrier birds. Antimicrobial resistance could be due to overdependence on antimicrobials. Ciprofloxacin could be considered in the treatment of zoonotic Salmonellosis in humans. Keywords Inv a . Multidrug resistance . Quail . Salmonella . Stn Introduction With an estimated population put approximately 104.3 million, poultry birds represent a major source of high-quality animal protein in Nigeria (Ajala et al. 2007). Poultry production is a very viable business in Nigeria with great potentials for growth and income generation. The livestock industry in Nigeria provides about 36.5% of the total protein intake of Nigerians and poultry contributes substantially to this (UNDP 2006). Over the years, there has been a significant gap between the production and demand of animal protein to feed the ever grow- ing population. To halt this negative trend, efforts are being di- rected towards improving the livestock industry with the intro- duction of micro-livestock possessing prolific tendency, short gestation period, short generation interval and rapid growth (Owen and Amakiri 2010). Among the micro-livestock animals is the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Japanese quails are hardy birds that thrive in small cages and are cheap to produce. They have less feed requirement of about 20–25 g feed per day compared to chicken that requires 120–130 g per day (Ani et al. 2009). The Japanese quail attains market weight of 140–180 g between 5 and 8 weeks of age and have a high rate of egg production between 180 and 250 per year (Shwartz and Allen 1981; Garwood and Diehl 1987). * Ezekiel O. Omoshaba omoshabaeo@funaab.edu.ng; drezewonder@gmail.com 1 Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, P. M. B. 2240, Abeokuta, Ogun, Nigeria 2 Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Abeokuta, Ogun, Nigeria Trop Anim Health Prod DOI 10.1007/s11250-017-1347-z