BackgroundThe close bond between pet animals and family members poses risk of infection with zoonotic bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella. No data is available on occurrence of Salmonella in dogs in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence, serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella from feces of apparently healthy dogs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ResultsOf the total 360 dogs examined, 42 (11.7%; 95% Confidence limit of 8.5%–15.4%) were positive for Salmonella. Fourteen serotypes were detected and the predominant ones were S. Bronx (n = 7; 16.7%), S. Newport (n = 6; 14.3%), followed by S. Typhimurium, S. Indiana, S. Kentucky, S. Saintpaul and S. Virchow (n = 4; 9.5%) each. Salmonella infection status was significantly associated with history of symptom of diarrhea during the past 60 days (OR = 3.78; CI = 1.76–8.13; p = 0). Highest resistance rates were found for oxytetracycline (59.5%), neomycin (50%), streptomycin (38.1%), cephalothin (33.3%), doxycycline (30.9%), ampicillin (30.9%) and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (26.2%). Thirty eight (90.5%) of the isolates were resistant or intermediately resistant to at least one of the 16 antimicrobials tested. Resistance to two or more antimicrobials was detected in 30 (71.4%) of the isolates. Resistance to three or more antimicrobials was detected in 19 (45.2%) of the isolates.ConclusionThis study demonstrated high carriage rate of Salmonella serotypes known for causing human salmonellosis and large proportion of them were resistant to antimicrobials used in public and veterinary medicine for management of various bacterial infections, suggesting the possible risk of infection of human population in close contact with these dogs by drug resistant pathogens. Therefore, it is vital to work on raising public awareness on zoonotic canine diseases prevention measures and good hygienic practices.

Many infectious diseases are transmitted from animals to human and the other way. Despite this there is limited information about public knowledge on pet husbandry and diseases control practices in Addis Ababa. The objectives of this study are to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices towards pet husbandry, contact-related attitude and zoonotic diseases among dog-owning households in Addis Ababa. A cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted to assess the public's perception. A total of 252 dog-owning households from four sub-cities of Addis Ababa were interviewed using structured questionnaire. Of the total 252 respondents, majority of them (70.2%) did not take their dog to veterinary service on regular basis (at least once a year). Over half of the respondents (59.1%) fed raw meat to their dogs and 79.3% of the owners obtained the meat from local unlicensed markets. The majority of the respondents (87%) in the current study believed the risk of acquiring zoonotic diseases from dogs. However, most of them (95.4%) knew only rabies and only 4.6% of them knew parasitic diseases in addition to rabies. Only 61.9% of the respondents reported having ever received information about pet-associated diseases or precautions to reduce the risk of these diseases. Out of those who received information, 48% of them obtained from their friends and/or relatives. Only 9% and 9.6% of them received information from veterinarians and health workers, respectively. The result suggests a need for awareness creation on proper pet management and zoonotic diseases prevention practices for pet-owning households, with concerted efforts by veterinary, human and public health professionals.

Salmonella is one of the top causes of foodborne bacterial illnesses in humans. The primary sources of human Salmonella infection are food producing animals such as cattle, poultry, and swine. A cross-sectional study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence and to determine the serovar distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Salmonella spp. isolated from fecal (n=567) and carcass swab (n=159) samples of slaughtered cattle at Addis Ababa Abattoir Enterprise and Kara'alo PLC, Abattoirs, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between January 2014 and April 2015. Salmonella isolation was conducted according to Global Foodborne Infections Network Laboratory Protocol and isolates were confirmed by genus specific PCR and serotyped by slide agglutination test. Susceptibility of the isolates to 17 antimicrobials was testedusing the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Out of the total 726 samples examined, 27 (3.7%) were positive for Salmonella. Salmonella was detected in 4.1% (23/567) fecal and 2.5% (4/159) carcass swab samples. Twelve different serovars were identified and the most predominant serovars were S. Dublin (n=10, 35.7%) and S. Virchow (n=5, 17.9%), followed by S. Braendrerup, S. Haifa, and S. Saintpaul which were isolated from 2 samples each (7.1%). All of the Salmonella isolates investigated were resistant or intermediately resistant to four or more of the 17 drugs tested. High resistance rate was recorded to streptomycin 25 (89.3%), cephalothin 20 (71.4%), ampicillin 19 (67.9%), and amoxicillin+clavulanic acid 19 (67.9%). Resistance to five or more antimicrobials was detected in 20 (71.5%) of the isolates. Multidrug resistance to more than 7 antimicrobials was detected in 5 (17.9%) of the isolates. Isolation of such multidrug resistant strains of Salmonella from slaughtered cattle poses a major public health concern. These findings imply the need for a strict biosecurity and regulation of antimicrobial use across the country.