Microbiological quality and antibiotic residues in informally marketed raw cow milk within the coastal savannah zone of Ghana

Abstract

Summaryobjectives To investigate the microbiological quality and the presence of antibiotic residues in raw cow milk and in some indigenous milk products produced and marketed by the informal sector in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana.methods Milk samples were aseptically collected from 224 kraals and samples of 26 indigenous milk products were purchased from processors and retailers. Total plate counts, total coliform counts and the presence of Escherichia coli and E. coli O157:H7 were determined in all 250 samples. Milk samples were also tested for antibiotic residues.results Total plate counts exceeded 10 5 CFU ⁄ ml in 45.2% of the samples while coliforms exceeded 10 3 CFU ⁄ ml in 66.0% and E. coli was detected in 11.2%. E. coli was present in raw cow milk but not in the indigenous products and all E. coli isolates were negative for E. coli O157:H7. Antibiotic residues were detected in 3.1% of the raw cow milk samples.conclusion Bulk milk contains unacceptable levels of hygiene indicators and antibiotic residues and is a potential source of milk-borne infections. The detection of E. coli and antibiotic residues raises public health concerns about the safety of fresh unpasteurized cow milk in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana and calls for improved farm hygiene, the need for milk pasteurization and the sensible use of antibiotics in the milk industry.

Assessment of sulphonamides and tetracyclines antibiotic residue contaminants in rural and peri urban dairy value chains in Kenya

“…In Tanzania over 36% of milk supply chain was reported to contain antibiotic residues (Kurwijila et al 2006). Other studies in Africa have also recorded the presence of antibiotic residues in milk like in Egypt (Goudah et al, 2007), Ghana (Addo et al 2011), South Africa (Bester and Lombard 1979), Ethiopia (Myllyniemi et al 2000), Sudan (El-tayeb et al Sulphonamides have also been reported in milk in Mexico 51.3% (Tolentino et al 2005), Turkey (Alkan, 2007) and Korea (Chung et al 2009). In the most recent studies, tetracyclines, sulphonamides and other antibiotics have been recorded at levels above recommended limits in milk at different nodes of the value chain (Olatoye et al, 2016;Chowdhury et al, 2016;Layada et al, 2016).…”

“…Other African countries have also been reported to have milk contaminated with Antibiotic residues. Some of these countries include Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, south Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania and Sudan (Myllyniemi et al 2000;Kurwijila et al 2006;Goudah et al 2007;Addo et al, 2011;El-tayeb et al 2012).…”

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

“…In other settings, the marketing of raw milk has been associated with major health problems, such as the emergence of E. coli O157:H7 strains (Addo et al 2011; Mhone et al 2011; Rasheed et al 2014; Amagliani et al 2016). Concerning antibiotic susceptibility, OXY, ERY, and AMX do not seem to play a significant selective role against microbial contamination in milk; rather, they contribute to increased bacterial resistance or create selective pressure for microorganisms that are already resistant to those drugs.…”

Fluoroquinolone residues in raw cow's milk

“…The published data indicated that violative residues were found in raw or heat treated milk samples in countries all over the world (Botsoglou & Fletouris 2001;Tolentino et al 2005;Fonseca et al 2009;Kaya & Filazi 2010;Addo et al 2011). Quality control of the purchased raw cow's milk implies that 0.16% samples showed violative concentrations of residues (Kopunetz 2010).…”