Abstract
<jats:p>Bacteria of the genera Salmonella and Campylobacter are the most common causative agents of foodborne bacterial infections, and poultry meat is recognised as the most common source of these infections in humans. Since chicken meat is one of the most commonly consumed meats in the daily diet, the aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of bacteria of the genus Salmonella in chicken meat in eastern Croatia in the period from 2017 to 2023. Sampling was conducted within the framework of an animal-origin food monitoring programme in butcher shops and slaughterhouses in four counties: Vukovar-Srijem, Osijek-Baranja, Brod-Posavina, and Požega-Slavonia. During this period, 1310 samples of fresh chicken meat were analysed in the Laboratory of Food and Feed Microbiology of the Veterinary Institute in Vinkovci. Bacteria of Salmonella spp. were confirmed in 130 (9.92%) samples of chicken meat: 101 samples of legs/ thighs (77.69%), 11 samples of wings (8.46%), and 18 samples of breast meat (13.85%). The highest number of Salmonella spp. isolates in relation to the total number of analysed chicken meat pieces tested was found in chicken legs/thighs (10.86%) and wings (10.00%), while the fewest isolates were obtained from breast meat samples (6.67%). Serological typing confirmed that all isolates belonged to the serovar Salmonella ser. Infantis.</jats:p>