In summary, our nationwide survey for the first time revealed
the high prevalence of Salmonella in retail RTE food products in
China, which could be a source of infectious exposure for consumers.
The recovered Salmonella isolates belonged to multiple
serovars. Furthermore, the Salmonella serovars exhibiting multidrug
resistance and multiple virulence genes highlight the health
risks for consumers. By combining MLST and PFGE subtyping, the
high genetic diversity of Salmonella isolates was identified. These
data may provide useful information for the development of public
health policies and effective strategies to ensure the safety of our
food products.