Abstract
Objective: Salmonella species and Escherichia coli are major bacterial enteropathogens of worldwide public health importance that cause devastating foodborne diseases, thereby contributing to increased human morbidity and mortality. Both pathogens have also been found to contribute towards the spread of antimicrobial resistance through the food chain, especially in poultry. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. and E. coli in broiler chickens at farm level, abattoirs, and open markets in selected districts of Zambia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in seven districts of Zambia to determine the resistance profiles of Salmonella spp. and E. coli obtained from broiler chickens at farms, abattoirs, and open markets. A total of 470 samples were collected which include; litter, cloacal swabs, and carcass swabs. Samples were inoculated into buffered peptone water and incubated for 24 hours then sub-cultured onto MacConkey and Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar plates. Identification of Salmonella spp. and E. coli was done using the API-20E kit and confirmation by 16S rDNA sequencing. Confirmed isolates were tested against a panel of 09 antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and interpreted according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Data analysis of the antibiotic sensitivity test results was done using WHONET 2018 software.Results: Overall, 4 Salmonella spp. and 280 E. coli were isolated. One of the Salmonella spp. was resistant to ampicillin (25%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (25%), and cefotaxime (25%). E. coli antibiotic resistance was highest to tetracycline (81.4%) and 100% susceptibility to imipenem. The antibiotic susceptibility profile revealed 75.7% (237/280) multidrug-resistant (MDR). The highest MDR profile was observed in 8.2% (23/280) isolates in which 6 out of the 9 classes of antibiotics tested were resistant. Out of the 280 isolates, 11.4% (32/280) exhibited Extensive Drug resistance (XDR).Conclusion: The study found antimicrobial resistance to E. coli and Salmonella spp. in market-ready broiler chickens which were resistant to important antibiotics and is of public health concern.
Highlights
2.1 Study design, site, and population A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018 to investigate the occurrence of antibioticresistant Salmonella spp. and E. coli in broiler chickens
The E. coli isolates exhibited Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR) This study revealed that both Salmonella spp. and E. coli to six or more antibiotics tested.[11]
These findings were are resistant to several antibiotics of both animal and human comparable or slightly lower to our results that found an importance with similar patterns at all three levels: farm, overall multi-drug resistance (MDR) of 75.7% (212/280) and 29.3% (82/280) MDR abattoir, and open markets
Summary
2.1 Study design, site, and population A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018 to investigate the occurrence of antibioticresistant Salmonella spp. and E. coli in broiler chickensEven though progress is being made in the control of these from poultry farms, commercial abattoirs, and open markets. pathogens, they tend to evolve and generate new challenges Litter and cloacal swab samples were collected from 7 dissuch as antibiotic resistance.[6]. Pathogens, they tend to evolve and generate new challenges Litter and cloacal swab samples were collected from 7 dissuch as antibiotic resistance.[6] Further, the use of antibiotics tricts: Chilanga, Chongwe, Kafue, Lusaka (Lusaka Province), has been reported by scholars to be an important factor in Choma (Southern Province), Kabwe (Central Province), and the emergence, selection and spread of antibiotic-resistant Kitwe (Copperbelt Province). In usage selects for resistance in pathogenic bacteria and the en- Choma, Kitwe, and Kabwe, were no poultry abattoirs were dogenous bacterial flora of exposed animals and humans.[8] available, freshly voided fecal droppings from market-ready Resource-constrained countries face challenges that co-exist broiler chickens and cloacal swab samples were collected and facilitate the spread of bacteria during livestock pro- from farms and open markets. These challenges demned at slaughter or point of sale were excluded from include high bird population density in poultry houses and/or the study
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