Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Listeria Species Isolated from Broiler Abattoirs in Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

L. monocytogenes is a public health threat linked to fast foods such as broiler chickens. This study aimed to verify the occurrence of Listeria species in chickens from abattoirs and evaluate their antimicrobial resistance. In total, 150 broiler carcass swabs distributed as cloacal (n = 60), exterior surface (n = 60), and environmental (n = 30) were collected. Listeria species were characterized using biochemical tests and PCR. We conducted antibiotic resistance tests using the disc diffusion and Etest (Biomerieux, Durham, NC, USA) methods. Overall isolation of Listeria species was 15% (23/150) 95% CI (10.16–22.33), 2% (3/150) 95% CI (0.52–6.19) and 13% (20/150) 95% CI (8.53–20.08) came from environmental swabs and carcass swabs, respectively. Proportions of positive Listeria isolates were L. monocytogenes 74% (17/23), L. welshimeri 22% (5/23), and L. innocua 4% (1/23). Listeria species from the exterior carcass swabs was 61% (14/23), cloacal swabs 26% (6/23), and environmental swabs 3% (3/23). L. monocytogenes had the greatest resistance percentage to the following antibiotics: clindamycin (61%, 10/23), tetracycline 30% (7/23), and erythromycin 13%, (3/23). Isolation of L. monocytogenes in relatively high numbers, including the antimicrobial profiles, suggests a potential risk of the pathogen remaining viable in the food continuum and a public health risk to would-be consumers.

A comparative study on the occurrence, risk factors, and genetic characteristics of Listeria species recovered from cattle farms, and beef abattoirs in Gauteng Province, South Africa

“…Most virulence genes detected in our abattoir isolates of L. monocytogenes have been associated with human listeriosis(Lomonaco et al 2012;Soni et al 2015; Arslan and Baytur 2019). The very high frequency (83.3%-100.0%) of detection of eight virulence genes in all the L. monocytogenes recovered in the current study could pose a health risk to humans if beef and beef products from these abattoirs enter the human food chain and are consumed improperly cooked.Listeria welshimeri was isolated at a frequency of only 0.8% from beef abattoir samples in our study, a frequency considerably lower than the 11.4% recorded in abattoirs in Turkey(Al et al 2022), 22% in Lusaka, Zambia(Mpundu et al 2022b), and 3.8% in Ethiopia(Gebremedhin et al 2021). Mpondo et al(2021) isolated L. welshimeri from 13% of the environmental waters of a district municipality in South Africa.…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Poultry Farmers on Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Kitwe, Zambia: Implications on Antimicrobial Stewardship

“…The findings are a source of concern because poultry farmers will misuse antimicrobials for any illness including viral infections. This was also evidenced by a study conducted by Mpundu and colleagues regarding AMR in poultry [54]. Another study by Moffo et al 2020 found a low mean knowledge score, desirable attitude and appropriate practice towards AMU and AMR [51].…”

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Community Pharmacy Professionals on Poultry Antibiotic Dispensing, Use, and Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance in Zambia: Implications on Antibiotic Stewardship and WHO AWaRe Classification of Antibiotics

“…Currently, Zambia, a country in sub-Saharan Africa, faces the challenge of AMR in human and animal medicine [ 41 , 43 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. The increased use of antibiotics in poultry in sub-Saharan Africa has contributed to the problem of AMR [ 65 ].…”