Screening food-borne and zoonotic pathogens associated with livestock practices in the Sumapaz region, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Abstract

Hazardous practices regarding antibiotics misuse, unsanitary milking procedures, and the commercial sales of raw milk and unpasteurized dairy products are currently being practiced by livestock farmers in the Sumapaz region (Colombia). The purpose of this study was to screen for food-borne and zoonotic pathogens associated with local livestock practices. We evaluated 1098 cows from 46 livestock farms in the Sumapaz region that were selected by random. Of the total population of cattle, 962 animals (88%) were tested for bovine TB using a caudal-fold tuberculin test and 546 (50%) for brucellosis by a competitive ELISA. In the population tested, 23 cows were positive for Brucella sp. representing a 4.2% seroprevalence and no cases of bovine tuberculosis were found. In addition, food-borne contamination with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was assessed together with antibiotic susceptibility for ten different antibiotics in milk samples from 16 livestock farms. We found that 12 of the farms (75%) were contaminated with these food-borne pathogens. Noteworthy, all of the isolated pathogenic strains were resistant to multiple antibiotics, primarily to oxytetracycline and erythromycin. Our findings suggest that livestock products could be a source of exposure to Brucella and multidrug-resistant E. coli and S. aureus strains as a result of unhygienic livestock practices in the Sumapaz region. Training in good farming practices is the key to improving safety in food production.

Polymerase chain reaction detection of genes responsible for multiple antibiotic resistance Staphylococcus aureus isolated from food of animal origin in Egypt

“…The livestock products could be a source of exposure to multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains as a result of hazardous misuse of antibiotics in animal treatment and unhygienic livestock practices [ 2 ]. Food of animal origin is an ideal culture medium for growth of many organisms [ 22 ].…”

“…The development of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to misuse of antibiotics in animals and poultry production is well authenticated for pathogenic bacteria [ 1 , 2 ]. Contaminated food of animal origins with antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be a great threat to public health, and the antibiotic resistance determinants can be transferred from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to other bacteria affecting human [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…The multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria were commonly isolated from food of animal origin such as raw milk and unpasteurized dairy products [ 2 , 8 ] and meat products [ 9 ], the resistance genes can be transferred from antibiotic-resistant bacteria to the intestinal flora of humans through food products, and the commensally flora can be a reservoir of resistant genes for pathogenic bacteria [ 10 ]. The high prevalence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was discovered from food of animal origin in Europe, Canada, and United States in multiple studies [ 11 , 12 ], which represents a huge problem in public health [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Interactive web-based tool for evaluating the spread of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis in Colombia

“…We suggest that BTB and brucellosis are spreading actively since 2004 in temporal outbreaks, which can be explained by low screening and lack of suitable detection tools (Henrioud, 2011;Arenas et al, 2017). The main causes that influence the active spread of BTB and brucellosis in Colombia could be attributable to illegal animal traffic from neighboring countries, deficiencies in intensive testing plans, lack of socio-economic benefits and trade-offs for smallholder milk farmers with positive animals, and animal movement or insemination procedures between non-certified livestock farms (Jojoa-Jojoa et al, 2016;Yahyaoui-Azami et al, 2018;Ávila-Granados et al, 2019;Cárdenas et al, 2019).…”

Evaluación de la calidad del agua para uso agropecuario en predios ganaderos localizados en la región del Sumapaz (Cundinamarca, Colombia)

“…(66,7%) que también representan factores críticos para asegurar la inocuidad en la producción pecuaria. Estos resultados en las UPG de la región de Sumapaz son soportados por un estudio previo, donde se evidenció contaminación microbiológica de leche con cepas de E. coli y S. aureus que exhibían altos niveles de antibiótico resistencia [20]. Aunque no se encontró una asociación directa por la contaminación ambiental, es posible que el agua contaminada afecte la inocuidad de la producción ganadera.…”