Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef at a commercial slaughterhouse in Moro, Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2021
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Publisher
Microbiology Society
Abstract
Background. Gastroenteritis due to foodborne disease is a leading cause of death in developing countries. In Nigeria, there is
an increasing demand for beef. Yet, there is no surveillance for Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of raw beef and little is
known about the carriage of this pathogen in Nigeria’s livestock.
Methods. A total of 415 samples, including 180 cow carcass swabs, 180 caecal content samples, 16 water samples, 25 hand
swabs and 14 knife swabs were collected at a large abattoir in the Moro region of Kwara State, Nigeria. The samples were
enriched in modified tryptone broth containing novobiocine, and plated onto Sorbitol–MacConkey agar (Oxoid SR0172E) supple-
mented with 0.05 mg l−1 cefixime and 2.5 mg l−1 potassium tellurite (Oxoid) (CT-SMAC). Indole- producing isolates were confirmed
serologically by serotyping with antisera specific for the O157 and H7 antigens. The E. coli O157:H7 isolates were further tested
for their susceptibility to antibiotic agents using the disc diffusion method. Commercially available Gram-negative multi- discs
(Oxoid) comprising nitrofurantoin (30 μg), ampicillin (5 μg), ceftazidime (30 μg), gentamicin (10 μg), ciprofloxacin (5 μg), augmen-
tin (30 μg), ofloxacin (5 μg) and cefuroxime (30 μg) were tested.
Results. Overall, 16 (3.9 %) samples were contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, of which 10 (5.6 %) were isolated from carcass
swabs, 4 (2.2 %) from caecal content samples and 2 (12.5 %) from water. All isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), with resist-
ance to ampicillin, ceftazidime and cefuroxime being the most common.
Conclusion. This study provides evidence to suggest that E. coli O157:H7 exists in the beef production chain. The pathogen
reveals a high frequency of multidrug resistance, suggesting that consumers and handlers of such meat are at risk of contract-
ing antibiotic- resistant E. coli O157:H7-associated foodborne disease. Routine monitoring of antibiotic resistance is critical to
uncovering novel therapeutic strategies that will help inform clinical practice guidelines.
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Citation
Ajuwon. B.I., Babatunde, S.K., Kolawole, O.M. Ajiboye, A.E. and Lawal, A.H. (2021). Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef at a commercial slaughterhouse in Moro, Kwara State, Nigeria. Access Microbiology 3:000289