Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in a government piggery farm in Owerri, Nigeria

Abstract

The acquisition of antibiotic-resistant commensal Escherichia coli was examined in a cohort of newborn pigs. Faecal samples were collected weekly from young pigs over a 2 month period and screened for E. coli resistant to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin at concentrations of 16, 8, 8 and 8 mg/l, respectively. E. coli viable counts were also performed on the samples. All the pigs acquired gentamicin-, nalidixic acid- and ampicillin-resistant E. coli, while 80% acquired ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli during the study. Sixty-five per cent of samples were resistant to at least one of the four antibiotics. The prevalence of the antibiotics declined significantly with age and time (p<0.05). Total counts and antibiotic resistant counts declined with age (p<0.05), with the rate of decline in antibiotic resistant counts being greater than that for total counts (p<0.05). The cohort pigs rapidly acquired antibiotic-resistant bacteria shortly after birth and the carriage of resistant bacteria was associated with age.

Keywords: antibiotics resistance, Escherichia coli, new-born pigs, faecal samples.

Int. J. Biol. Chem. Sci. Vol. 2 (3) 2008: pp. 363-367