Occurrence of extended –spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae and bacterial loads in dust from poultry farms in Lusaka-Zambia.
Poultry houses accommodate substantial amounts of microorganisms which are carried by the dust present in these premises and the effects of this dust on humans and animal health is detrimental when inhaled. Extended Spectrum beta lactamases are a universal public health alarm which are frequently identified in humans and animals including poultry. Poultry dust is a possible source of drug resistant microorganisms including Extended spectrum beta lactamases which confer antimicrobial resistance to different classes of antimicrobials including beta lactam, cephalosporins and fruoloquinolones. The concentration of microorganisms in dust from poultry houses in Lusaka-Zambia is not known and in order to know the risks for birds, environment and people working in these houses, it is important to have information on the microbial composition of this dust, therefore, this study is conducted to determine poultry dust bacterial composition in farms in Lusaka, Zambia. A cross sectional study with quantitative data collection approach was conducted in Kafue, Lusaka and Chongwe districts of Lusaka province where 351 dust samples from intensive poultry production were collected from 29 poultry farms (10 kafue,12 Lusaka and 7 Chongwe). 4 farms were for indigenous chickens, 15 layer farms and 10 broiler farms. They were analyzed for total viable bacteria counts (cfu/g), the occurrence of extended-spectrum beta- lactamases (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriacea, antimicrobial resistance for ESBL-E isolates. The association between the sociodemographic issues and the occurrence of the pathogens in dust from poultry houses in Lusaka- Zambia was also determined. The total viable bacterial counts was 2.599 x108 cfu/g. For Enterobacteriaceae was 2.296x108 cfu/g. 62 Positive ESBL samples occurred in 16 farms (n=29) where ESBL samples was 4.842x104cfu/g. E.Coli showed highest resistant rate amongst other isolates. All ESBL- E isolates showed 100% resistance rate to penicillin followed by 56.5% for cefotaxime and 48.4% for ciprofloxacin. There was no association between the sociodemographic issues and the occurrence of the pathogens in dust from poultry houses. The results obtained would help that ensures poultry farms comply to safety rules by providing protective clothing for their workers and also close monitoring of antibiotic usage to poultry to avoid dust transmitted antimicrobial organisms to humans, animals and the environment.
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