Title : Isolation, antimicrobial susceptibility and associated factors of enteric bacterial pathogens from food of animal origin in the selected town of West Guji Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Abstract:
Background: Milk and meat are among the most important livestock food products preferred by consumers due to their content of protein and other essential nutrients. However, these food products provide a nutrient-rich medium that can be easily contaminated by pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Shigella. Infection with these foodborne enteric pathogens can cause a range of health problems for the general public consuming contaminated food. Moreover, the increasing antimicrobial resistance among these pathogens poses a major public health challenge, complicating the effective prevention and treatment of related diseases.
Objective: To assess the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility, and associated factors of enteric pathogens from food of Animal products in West Guji Zone, Southern Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 218 participants in a selected town in the West Guji zone. Pretested, semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Approximately 25 mL of milk samples and 25 grams of meat samples were collected from butcher shops and milk vendors for laboratory analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed with SPSS version 25, employing binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Statistical significance was set at a p-value less than 0.05.
The prevalence of enteric bacterial infections was 79 cases (39%) (95% CI: 32.7%–45.3%). Escherichia coli was the predominant bacterium identified, with 46 cases (19.9%) (95% CI: 14.9%–24.9%), followed by Salmonella with 39 cases (16.9%) (95% CI: 12.1%–21.1%). Factors associated with contamination of meat and milk by enteric bacteria included the use of detergent to clean utensils, untrimmed fingernails, lack of training in food handling, and absence of handwashing with soap after using the toilet. Furthermore, all identified strains of E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella exhibited high resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin.
Conclusion and Recommendations: Food of animal origin (meat and milk) showed significant contamination by enteric bacterial infections in the current study. Training on hygienic food handling, periodic medical check-ups, and health education on good hygiene practices for meat and milk handlers are important to reduce food contamination.
