Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef at a commercial slaughterhouse in Moro, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background. Gastroenteritis due to foodborne disease is a leading cause of death in developing countries. In Nigeria, there is an increasing demand for beef. Yet, there is no surveillance for Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of raw beef and little is known about the carriage of this pathogen in Nigeria’s livestock. Methods. A total of 415 samples, including 180 cow carcass swabs, 180 caecal content samples, 16 water samples, 25 hand swabs and 14 knife swabs were collected at a large abattoir in the Moro region of Kwara State, Nigeria. The samples were enriched in modified tryptone broth containing novobiocine, and plated onto Sorbitol–MacConkey agar (Oxoid SR0172E) supplemented with 0.05 mg l−1 cefixime and 2.5 mg l−1 potassium tellurite (Oxoid) (CT-SMAC). Indole-producing isolates were confirmed serologically by serotyping with antisera specific for the O157 and H7 antigens. The E. coli O157:H7 isolates were further tested for their susceptibility to antibiotic agents using the disc diffusion method. Commercially available Gram-negative multi-discs (Oxoid) comprising nitrofurantoin (30 µg), ampicillin (5 µg), ceftazidime (30 µg), gentamicin (10 µg), ciprofloxacin (5 µg), augmentin (30 µg), ofloxacin (5 µg) and cefuroxime (30 µg) were tested. Results. Overall, 16 (3.9 %) samples were contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, of which 10 (5.6 %) were isolated from carcass swabs, 4 (2.2 %) from caecal content samples and 2 (12.5 %) from water. All isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), with resistance to ampicillin, ceftazidime and cefuroxime being the most common. Conclusion. This study provides evidence to suggest that E. coli O157:H7 exists in the beef production chain. The pathogen reveals a high frequency of multidrug resistance, suggesting that consumers and handlers of such meat are at risk of contracting antibiotic-resistant E. coli O157:H7-associated foodborne disease. Routine monitoring of antibiotic resistance is critical to uncovering novel therapeutic strategies that will help inform clinical practice guidelines.

Sorbitol non-fermenting Escherichia coli and E. coli O157: prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of strains in slaughtered food animals in Southeast Nigeria

“…The absence of E. coli O157 in cattle in this study contrasts previous reports in cattle/dairy products sampled in Northcentral Nigeria in which phenotypic E. coli O157 prevalence ranged from 0.43-67.5% [13,19,20,28] and in Southsouth Nigeria where 6.94-28% E. coli O157 prevalence rate was reported [18,29]. In Southwestern Nigeria, phenotypic E. coli O157 prevalence rate reported in cattle/beef ranged from 3.9-28% [23,30]. Non-detection of E. coli O157 in pigs in the present study, contrasts the 12 and 31.5% prevalence rates reported in Lagos/Ogun States, Southwestern Nigeria [31] and Indonesia [16], respectively.…”

“…In Southwestern Nigeria, phenotypic E. coli O157 prevalence rate reported in cattle/beef ranged from 3.9–28% [23, 30]. Non-detection of E.…”

“…coli / E. coli O157 isolates from food animals, meat and associated products in Nigeria [21, 23, 29, 30] and other countries [14, 15].…”

“…coli / E. coli O157 isolates from food animals in Nigeria to date [23]. To date, the potential of food animals slaughtered in the Southeast Nigeria as reservoirs of drug-resistant SN-F E.…”

“…In Nigeria, several studies have screened food animals for drug-resistant typical E. coli; however, few documented reports on SN-F E. coli and E. coli O157 in food animals are available [13,[18][19][20][21][22][23]. These available Nigerian studies were conducted in the Northcentral, Southwest and Southsouth regions of the country; with reported prevalence rates ranging from 0.8-67.5%.…”