Microbiological investigation of Escherichia coli isolates from cloacal and feacal swabs of broiler chickens for extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) enzymes

Abstract

Extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are enzymes that hydrolyze oxyimino cephalosporins (except cephamycins) and monobactams but are inhibited by clavulanic acid. Pathogenic bacteria producing ESBL exhibit co-resistance to many other classes of antibiotics, and this result in limitation of therapeutic option in both veterinary and human medicine. This research work demonstrated ESBL production from Escherichia coli isolates of poultry origin in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A total of 200 feacal and cloacal swab samples from broiler chickens were analyzed in this study. Swab samples were cultured and incubated at 37 o C for 18-24 hrs, and colonies growing on agar plates were identified by standard microbiology techniques. Antibiogram was conducted on all isolates by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and ESBL production was evaluated as per the double disk synergy test (DDST) method. ESBL production was detected in 16 E. coli isolates from feacal swab samples and 20 E. coli isolates from cloacal swab samples. All isolates showed high resistance to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim, ampicillin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and ofloxacin. The frequency of ESBL production in E. coli isolates from broiler chickens in this study has clinical implications for the treatment of bacterial related diseases in human population, thus the need to control the use of antibiotics for non-human purposes in this environment.