Abstract:
Objective: To determine the antibiotic resistance patterns of pathogenic Escherichia
coli on goat meat carcass at Huruma and Kiserian abattoirs in Kenya.
Design: Laboratory based study.
Setting: Huruma and Kiserian abattoirs in Kenya,
Subjects: 400 slaughtered goats inspected by veterinary health officers and approved
for human consumption.
Methods: A Total of 400 slaughtered goats which were inspected by veterinary health
officers and approved for human consumption were sampled from Huruma and
Kiserian abattoir. Goat carcass swabs were collected by passing each swab tissue on
four parts of the carcass mainly neck , right and left forelimbs, right and left hind
limbs, and brisket.
Results: A total of 54E. coliisolates were isolated and confirmed to be pathogenic. The
percentage of isolates resistant to various microbial agents was recorded as follows:
ampicillin (26 %), amoxycillin-clavulanic acid (17%), tetracycline (15%), chroramphenicol
(4%), and ceftrixone (2% each). All Escherichia coli isolates were susceptible to
gentamicin sulphamethaxazole-trimethomprin, kanamycin, cetriazididine (CAZ,
30μg), ciproxacin, nalidixic acid and chloramphenicol. Isolates were resistant to one or
more of the antibiotics tested. Among the drugs tested, resistance was more frequently
observed against ampicillin, amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, tetracycline, ceftrixone and
chroramphenicol antibiotics.
Among the isolates 26(48%) were positive for the stx1 gene, 19(35%) had the eae gene,
10(19%) possessed est gene, while 8(15%) harboured elt gene. Overall five isolates (10%)
possessed aspu gene and two (4%) had aggR gene. No isolate possessed ipah gene.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that there is a significant level of antimicrobial
resistance in pathogenic E. coliisolated from goat meat from Huruma and Kiserian
abattoir. This indicates that goat meat from abattoirs could pose a risk of transmission
of pathogenic antibiotic resistant strains to human. Poor hygienic standards and
indiscriminate use of antimicrobials are the two main reasons for the presence of
resistant pathogens in goat carcasses.
Recommendations: Implemention of appropriate hygiene measures to control
contamination of meat with pathogenic E. coli.
