Abstract: Objective: The antibacterial susceptibility, and serotype and genotype of 260 Salmonella isolates from retail chicken in Xi，an district of Shaanxi province were determined to explore the microbial safety of retail chicken. Methods: The antibacterial susceptibility was tested using agar dilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Serotyping was performed using slide agglutination method according to WHO guidelines. DNA fingerprinting profiles of Salmonella were determined using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and analyzed using the BioNumerics Software. Results: The drug resistance rates of 260 Salmonella isolates to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefoperazone, ceftriaxone and cefoxitin were 81.4%, 29.2%, 22.4%, 21.8%, 34.6%, 37.7%, 32.6%, 23.1% and 1.9%, respectively. Twenty-one serotypes were identified in the Salmonella isolates, and the common serotypes were Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Shubra, Salmonella Indiana, Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Djugu, Salmonella Derby, Salmonella Virchow, Salmonella Othmarschen and Salmonella II, respectively. The isolates of serotypes Salmonella Indiana (22.6%) and Salmonella Shubra (6.1%) were resistant to at least 15 antibiotics, which were the most resistant ones. PFGE profiles of Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Shubra, Salmonella Indiana and Salmonella Typhimurium isolates were genetically diverse. The epidemiological regularity of the different serotypes of Salmonella Exhibited differences along with sampling time and places. Conclusion: Salmonella isolates from retail chicken in Xi，an are diverse in serotypic and genotypic characteristics and many of them are resistant to multiple antibiotics commonly used in the treatment of humans and animals.

Key words: chicken, Salmonella, antibacterial susceptibility, serotype, genotype