1.Serogroups and antibiogram of Salmonella isolates from dairy cattle in Nkonkobe District, South Africa
Benson Chuck Iweriebor ; Olivia Sochi Egbule ; Aboi Igwaran ; Larry Chikwulu Obi
Malaysian Journal of Microbiology 2021;17(4):452-458
Aims:
The use of antimicrobial agent for treatment or growth promotion has added burden to treat infection diseases
caused by pathogenic bacteria as they can acquire resistance. Salmonella is one of the major zoonotic bacterial
pathogens that acts as a potential reservoir of antimicrobial resistance elements. In this study, the presence of
Salmonella serotypes and the antibiogram patterns of the isolates from fecal samples of healthy cows in some selected
localities in Eastern Cape, South Africa were studied.
Methodology and results:
Two hundred fecal samples were collected from healthy adult cows, of which 180
presumptive Salmonella isolates were recovered by conventional method. The isolates were identified using specific
primer sets that are capable of detecting Salmonella spp. as well as delineating them into serogroups A, B, C1, C2, and
D. Thereafter, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the identified isolates were determined by disk diffusion method
against a panel of 12 antibiotics. From the molecular analysis of the isolates, 108 isolates were identified as Salmonella
spp. and the confirmed isolates were further delineated into serogroup and the prevalence of the serogroups detected
were 20%, 18%, 2%, 20% and 40% for serogroup A, B, C1, C2 and D respectively. Extremely high levels of antibiotic
resistances were observed among the study isolates, while serogroup D was the most prevalent serogroup among the
study isolates.
Conclusion, significance and impact of study
In conclusion, dairy cows could be considered as major reservoirs of
antibiotic resistant Salmonella spp. that could be transmitted to humans via the food chain. This poses a significant
public health risk especially to people living around the farms as well as those who consume poorly cooked meat and
those who deal on raw cow meat.
Salmonella Infections, Animal