Determining the Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of E. coli Isolated from Pooled Samples of Sick, Farm, and Market Chickens: A Cross Sectional Study in Nairobi County, Kenya | Chapter 9 | Contemporary Research and Perspectives in Biological Science Vol. 11

Background: Antimicrobials are essential for human and animal health but need to be used cautiously. Bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to both human and animal health. This is mainly because the same antimicrobial molecules are used for treating and prophylaxis of bacterial diseases in both cases, and about 60% of human pathogens are shared with animals. The effective control of AMR in any country, happens periodically through surveillance exercises. In Kenya, there is scanty data on the prevailing AMR situation, especially in animals.

 

Aim: This study determines the antimicrobial resistance profiles of E. coli Isolated from pooled samples of sick, farm, and market chickens in Nairobi county, Kenya.

 

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Nairobi County, Kenya. Isolation of E. coli was done by swab-inoculation onto MacConkey agar (Oxoid Ltd), followed by incubation at 37°C overnight. Organisms from lactose-fermenting (pink) colonies were phenotyped and confirmed as E. coli through Gram-staining, growth on Eosin Methylene Blue agar, and testing for motility and biochemical reactions, including Indole, Methyl red, Voges Proskauer, Citrate, Urease, and interpretation done using the criteria given in Bergey’s Manual of systemic bacteriology. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by the Agar Disk Diffusion method using Mueller Hinton agar (Oxoid Ltd).

 

Results: This paper reports on AMR profiles of 54 E. coli strains isolated from chickens out of which 36 (72%) were from clinically ill chickens, 11 (22%) were from farm chickens, and 7 (9.7%) were from slaughtered chickens, respectively. All 54 isolates exhibited varying antimicrobial resistance profiles with the majority showing resistance to Ampicillin (85.22%), Tetracycline (66.7%), Co-trimoxazole (57.4%), and Streptomycin (40.7%). Very few isolates were resistant to Amoxicillin and Gentamicin (each at 3.7%), Ampicillin (11.1%), and Nalidixic acid (24.1%). A total of 44 (81.5%) showed multiple resistance to up to 6 antimicrobial agents.

 

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the widespread presence of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli in Kenyan chickens; most of them showing multi-drug resistances (2 to 6 antimicrobials). The number could have been even higher if more antimicrobials were tested.

 

Author (s) Details

 

Tino A. Deng
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Lilly C. Bebora
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Mahacla O. Odongo
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya.

Gerald M. Muchemi
Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 2905300625, Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Samuel Karuki
Center for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P.O. Box 43640–00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

Peter K. Gathumi
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya.

 

 

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