A retrospective analysis of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenicEscherichia coliandSalmonellaspp. isolates from poultry in Uganda

Abstract

There are increasing reports of antimicrobial treatment failures for bacterial diseases of poultry in Uganda. The paucity of data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of pathogenic bacteria in Uganda is a major setback to AMR control. This study investigated the occurrence of fowl typhoid, colibacillosis, and AMR in associated pathogens from 2012 to 2018. Laboratory records from the Central Diagnostic Laboratory (CDL), a National Veterinary Diagnostic Facility located at Makerere University, were reviewed. Archived isolates of the causative bacteria for the two diseases were also evaluated for AMR. The frequencies of the two disease conditions, their clinical and necropsy presentations and the demographic data of the diagnostic samples were summarized from the records. Archived bacterial isolates were revived before antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This was done on Mueller Hinton agar using the disk diffusion method, against 16 antimicrobials of medical and veterinary importance according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. A total of 697 poultry cases were presented for bacteriological investigations in the review period. Colibacillosis and salmonellosis had prevalence rates of 39.7% (277/697) and 16.2% (113/697), respectively. A total of 63 and 92 isolates of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp., respectively, were archived but 43 (68.3%) E. coli and 47 (51.1%) Salmonella spp. isolates were recovered and evaluated for AMR. Multidrug resistance was more frequent in E. coli (38; 88.4%) than salmonellae (25; 53.2%), ( p < 0.001). The high prevalence of colibacillosis, salmonellosis and the AMR of associated pathogens warrants immediate institution of appropriate disease control measures.

Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Isolates from Smallholder Poultry Droppings in the Guinea Savanna Zone of Nigeria

“…resistance to antibiotics may change if other conventional veterinary drugs are tested. This is because high resistance to antibiotics such as tetracycline (89.4%), cloxacillin (100.0%), and erythromycin (100.0%) [ 53 ] in Nigeria, amoxycillin (88.4%) in Uganda [ 46 ], and ampicillin (91.7%) in Ethiopia [ 18 ] has been reported in poultry. These observations are consistent with the findings of Nhung [ 54 ] in a comprehensive review where the antibiotic resistance of E. coli and Salmonella spp., among others, were found to vary with the classes and types of antibiotic drugs used.…”

Epidemiological Dynamics of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase- or AmpC β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Screened in Apparently Healthy Chickens in Uganda

“…In addition, marginal use of β -lactam antibiotics was noted on the farms. The occurrence of noxious groups of ARB in flocks may question the safety of poultry products, especially in countries such as Uganda with nonstringent food safety systems [ 8 ]. From the farm, a critical meat contamination node could be the slaughter house [ 19 ] thus standardizing chicken meat handling processes and supporting their operationalization which must be prioritized to control the contamination of consumer products.…”

“…This finding was in agreement with results from a study conducted by Brower et al [ 11 ]. Broilers are known for their high feed intake, and this behaviour is a stimulus for continuous shedding of feces, thus increasing the risk of their environmental contamination with different bacterial strains [ 8 ]. Additionally, many broiler farms had high stock densities which could make environmental management aimed at lowering bacteria in the houses more laborious.…”

“…Pink colonies surrounded by a zone of precipitation of bile salts were again subcultured on the same first isolation agar. The colonies were biochemically identified as E. coli using indole, methyl red, urease, Voges–Proskauer, citrate, and lactose utilization tests [ 8 , 22 ].…”

“…The latter bugs are currently considered as emerging zoonotic and multidrug-resistant bacteria, criticized to pose a major challenge in antimicrobial treatments [ 5 , 6 ]. Human exposure to such lethal bacteria can be through consumption of contaminated poultry products such as meat and eggs [ 7 ] with most of these fowl-hosted strains ably causing disease in humans [ 8 ]. This renders AMR in food animals a public health threat requiring joint coordinated efforts [ 9 ].…”