Poultry farming is a common practice in Ghana. Antibiotics are used, particularly in commercial poultry farming, as growth promoters and to prevent and cure infections. However, there is little information on antimicrobial usage in domestic poultry farming in Ghana. This study aimed to describe antimicrobial usage in commercial and domestic poultry farming. A cross-sectional survey was conducted within the Ashanti region of Ghana including 33 commercial farms and 130 households with domestic poultry farming. The median poultry population on commercial farms was 1500 (IQR: 300–3000) compared with 18 (IQR: 10–25) on domestic farms. The majority (97%, n = 32) of commercial farms used antimicrobials, compared with 43% (n = 56) of the domestic farms. Commercial farmers were 6.1 (CI: 3.2–11.8) times more likely to read and follow instructions on antimicrobials in comparison with domestic poultry keepers. About 11% of domestic and 34% of commercial farmers had received education on antimicrobial usage. None of the commercial farmers used herbal remedies; however, 40% (n/N = 52/130) of domestic farmers administered herbs. The misuse of antimicrobials in domestic poultry production calls for stricter regulations and training to limit the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria among poultry.

The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces marxianus are associated with fermentation of West African indigenous foods. The aim of this study was to characterize potential probiotic properties of S. cerevisiae and K. marxianus isolates from the West African milk products lait caillé and nunu and a cerealbased product mawè. The strains (14 in total) were identified by 26S rRNA gene sequencing and characterized for survival at gastrointestinal stress (bile salts and low pH) and adhesion to Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells. Selected yeast isolates were tested for their effect on the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), using the intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2 and for maintenance of intracellular pH (pH i) during perfusion with gastrointestinal pH (3.5 and 6.5). All tested yeasts were able to grow in bile salts in a strain-dependent manner, exhibiting a maximum specific growth rate (μ max) of 0.58-1.50 h −1. At pH 2.5, slow growth was observed for the isolates from mawè (μ max of 0.06-0.80 h −1), whereas growth of yeasts from other sources was mostly inhibited. Yeast adhesion to Caco-2 cells was strain specific and varied between 8.0% and 36.2%. Selected strains of S. cerevisiae and K. marxianus were able to maintain the pH i homeostasis at gastrointestinal pH and to increase TEER across the Caco-2 monolayers, indicating their potential to improve intestinal barrier functions. Based on overall results, strains of K. marxianus and S. cerevisiae from mawè exhibited the highest probiotic potential and might be recommended for further development as starter cultures in West African fermented products.

Globally, resistance to antimicrobial drugs in food animals is on the rise. Escherichia coli of livestock, though commensal in nature, serves as reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes with the potential of disseminating them. This study sought to examine the antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli in broilers, pigs, and cattle in the Kumasi Metropolis and undertake molecular characterisation of the resistances. Faecal E. coli isolates (n = 48) were obtained from 10 broiler farms, (n = 43) from 15 pig farms, and (n = 42) from cattle from the Kumasi Abattoir using standard bacteriological techniques. The Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method was employed in testing the sensitivities of 133 E. coli isolates to 15 antimicrobials. All 48 isolates from broilers presented no resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and ceftiofur. A 100% resistance to meropenem was observed in pig and cattle isolates. Multidrug resistance (MDR) across animal groups was 95.8% (n = 46), 95.3% (n = 41), and 64.3% (n = 27) for broilers, pigs, and cattle, respectively. Twenty-eight isolates presenting phenotypic resistance to aminopenicillins and cephalosporins were screened for the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes by PCR. One isolate from poultry and another from cattle tested positive for the blaCTX-M ESBL gene. There were no positives for the blaTEM and blaSHV ESBL genes. Commensal E. coli of food animal origin represents an important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance that transfers resistance to pathogenic and nonpathogenic microbes affecting humans and animals. There is an urgent need to institute routine surveillance for the establishment of the mechanisms and molecular orientation of resistance in these organisms.

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