Antibiotic resistance profiles among mesophilic aerobic bacteria in Nigerian chicken litter and associated antibiotic resistance genes1

The effect of global antibiotic use practices in livestock on the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens is poorly understood. There is a paucity of data among African nations, which suffer from high rates of antibiotic resistant infections among the human population. Escherichia (29.5%), Staphylococcus (15.8%), and Proteus (15.79%) were the dominant bacterial genera isolated from chicken litter from four different farms in Zaria, Nigeria, all of which contain human pathogenic members. Escherichia isolates were uniformly susceptible to augmentin and cefuroxime, but resistant to sulfamethoxazole (54.5%), ampicillin (22.7%), ciprofloxacin (18.2%), cephalothin (13.6%) and gentamicin (13.6%). Staphylococcus isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and sulfamethoxazole, but resistant to tetracycline (86.7%), erythromycin (80%), clindamycin (60%), and penicillin (33.3%). Many of the isolates (65.4%) were resistant to multiple antibiotics, with a multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) ≥ 0.2. sul1, sul2, and vanA were the most commonly detected antibiotic resistance genes among the isolates. Chicken litter associated with antibiotic use and farming practices in Nigeria could be a public health concern given that the antibiotic resistant patterns among genera containing pathogens indicate the potential for antibiotic treatment failure. However, the MARI values were generally lower than reported for Escherichia coli from intensive poultry operations in industrial nations.