Are drug-resistant strains of salmonella circulating?

Public health officials are warning that drug-resistant strains of Salmonella are circulating more widely than previously understood, raising concerns about the effectiveness of standard antibiotic treatments for foodborne illness. A new CDC surveillance report identifies at least three distinct Salmonella strains with resistance to first-line antibiotics including ciprofloxacin and azithromycin.

The resistant strains have been detected in 28 states over the past 18 months, with the highest concentration in the Southeast and Midwest. The CDC estimates that drug-resistant Salmonella now accounts for approximately 15% of the 1.35 million annual Salmonella infections in the United States, up from roughly 8% five years ago.

The primary driver is agricultural antibiotic use. While the FDA has implemented restrictions on medically important antibiotics in livestock feed, enforcement gaps and international food imports continue to introduce resistant bacteria into the U.S. food supply. Ground beef and poultry remain the most common sources of resistant infections.

For most healthy adults, Salmonella infection resolves without antibiotics. But for the estimated 26,000 Americans hospitalized annually with severe Salmonella, antibiotic resistance can turn a treatable infection into a life-threatening one. The CDC report documents at least 340 hospitalizations and 12 deaths linked to drug-resistant strains in 2025.

What This Means For You: Practice standard food safety: cook poultry to 165 degrees, avoid cross-contamination between raw meat and other foods, and wash hands thoroughly after handling raw proteins. If you develop severe food poisoning symptoms including bloody diarrhea or fever above 102 degrees, seek medical attention and mention that you want your stool cultured for antibiotic resistance if symptoms do not improve within 48 hours.