Determination of the sources and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella isolated from the poultry industry in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundEthiopia set an ambitious masterplan to increase chicken meat and egg production from 2015 to 2020. Poultry breeding, multiplication and distribution centers in the country have received executive order to import, amplify and distribute commercial chickens to end users. The biosecurity and the pathogen fauna of the centers have not been evaluated as to whether the centers could implement the mission effectively without any risk. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the biosecurity practices and the pathogen prevalence, risk factors and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) using Salmonella as case study.MethodsRoutine farm workers of the centers were interviewed about the different management (biosecurity) practices using a checklist. Samples (n = 270) from different sources consisting of chicken’s cloacal swab (n = 244), personnel hand swab (n = 9) and bedding (n = 17) were collected from three chicken multiplication centers. Standard bacteriological methods were used for the isolation of Salmonella. Disk diffusion method was used for drug sensitivity testing.ResultsAntimicrobials were often over prescribed without confirming the cause of ill health and without susceptibility testing. The general biosecurity and flock management practices were substandard. Salmonella was isolated from 45 (16.7%) of the 270 samples. Its prevalence was significantly (p<0.05) associated with location of the multiplication center, 27% at Bonga and 10.6% at Hawassa. Sample type was also significantly (p<0.05) affected in that it was higher in the bedding (35.3%) and personnel hand swabs (33.3%) than in the chicken cloaca (14.8%), which demonstrates the poor biosecurity and personnel hygienic practices in the centers. All of the 45 isolates (100%) exhibited resistance to kanamycin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, nalidixic acid (97.8%), ampicillin (97.8%), cefoxitin (97.8%), streptomycin (97.8%) tetracycline (97.8%), chloramphenicol (91.3%), ciprofloxacin (31.1%), and gentamicin (0%). Alarmingly, 42 isolates (93.4%) exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR) to ≥ 8 drugs and all 45 isolates had resistance to ≥ 3 drugs. The high rate of Salmonella isolation from (i) bedding, (ii) personnel hand swabs (iii) chickens, (iv) presence of more MDR isolates, (v) coupled with poor biosecurity practices in the centers could pose a risk for spreading of pathogens and drug resistant genes to the smallholder chicken producers and the public.ConclusionsWe conclude that the poultry breeding, multiplication and distribution centers in Ethiopia, as they stand currently, seem to be a source of pathogens and AMR isolates at least for Salmonella. Therefore, strict biosecurity, personnel safety, prudent drug use, regular monitoring and traceability of Salmonella serotypes or genotypes and AMR are recommended.

Prevalence of Multidrug Resistance Non-Typhoidal Salmonellae Isolated from Layer Farms and Humans in Egypt.

“…This may be attributed to the very limited use of these antibiotics in the layer farms in the current period. Similarly, Abdi et al (2017) indicated that gentamicin is still effective against Salmonella regardless of the time or location of the study. Ramatla et al (2019) reported that 4% of Salmonella isolates were resistant to gentamicin.…”

“…In addition, the uncontrolled increase in the usage of prescription antibiotics frequently purchased and used by unqualified practitioners in the veterinary and public health sectors. Also, absence of compliance and monitoring of the antimicrobial drug in developing countries and the utilization of the antimicrobial drugs at sub-therapeutic or prophylactic dosage in food animals may assist in the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance genes in Salmonella as well as other human and animal pathogens (Abdi et al, 2017).…”

Food Safety, Health Management, and Biosecurity Characteristics of Poultry Farms in Arusha City, Northern Tanzania, Along a Gradient of Intensification

“…26,27 In Africa, intensification of poultry production has been linked with increased prevalence of Salmonella and decreased prevalence of Campylobacter, but little is known about the association between farm management, biosecurity, and pathogen prevalence in relation to the emerging poultry systems in Tanzania. 8,17 Moreover, it is largely unknown how farmers access information on these topics.…”

“…16 The risk of Salmonella contamination can be high in intensive poultry production, particularly if biosecurity is poor. 17 However, intensification does not necessarily increase the prevalence of Salmonella or Campylobacter. For example, both the rise and subsequent fall of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis were associated with intensive poultry production in the United Kingdom (UK), and Campylobacter prevalence was higher in extensively managed indigenous chickens than in intensively managed broilers in the Morogoro Region and Eastern Zone of Tanzania.…”

Prevalence, risk factors and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of <i>Salmonella</i> isolated from dogs of Ambo, Bako and Gojo towns of West Shoa, Ethiopia

“…In developing countries, control of antimicrobial-resistant infections in both humans and animals are of a great challenge because of inadequate adherence to prudent use of antimicrobials, unhygienic living conditions, close con-tact and sharing of houses between animals and humans (Feasey et al, 2012). Different scholars reported antimicrobial resistant Salmonella isolates from categories of food (Weldo et al, 2015;Ejo et al, 2016), animal (Abdi et al, 2017;Kiflu et al, 2017) and human (Eguale et al, 2015;Marami et al, 2018) specimens in Ethiopia. There is an increasing concern with this pathogen due to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant and potentially more pathogenic strains (WHO, 2012).…”