Antibiogram of Escherichia coli Isolated from Dairy Cattle and in-Contact Humans in Selected Areas of Central Ethiopia

Tekalign Tadesse; Haile Alemayehu; Girmay Medhin; Aberaw Akalu; Tadesse Eguale

doi:10.2147/VMRR.S456247

Antibiogram of Escherichia coli Isolated from Dairy Cattle and in-Contact Humans in Selected Areas of Central Ethiopia

Vet Med (Auckl). 2024 Apr 10:15:117-127. doi: 10.2147/VMRR.S456247. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Tekalign Tadesse^#¹, Haile Alemayehu², Girmay Medhin², Aberaw Akalu³, Tadesse Eguale^#^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Science, Mattu University, Mattu, Ethiopia.
² Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
³ Food, Medicine and Healthcare Administration and Control, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁴ The Ohio State University, Global One Health LLC, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to public and animal health. Escherichia coli is considered an indicator organism for monitoring AMR among gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae in humans and animals. The current study aims to assess the antibiogram profile of E. coli isolated from dairy cattle and in-contact humans in central Ethiopia and to identify risk factors associated with multidrug resistance (MDR).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which 58 farms were recruited from selected districts of central Ethiopia. E. coli was isolated using standard bacteriological techniques. A total of 200 representative isolates (140 from cattle and 60 from humans in contact) were randomly selected and tested for susceptibility to a panel of 13 antimicrobials using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay.

Results: The highest rate of resistance was observed for sulfamethoxazole+trimethoprim (58.6%, 82/140) and amoxicillin+clavulanic acid (70.0%, 42/60) among E. coli isolates from cattle and hmans, respectively. In contrast, resistance rates in isolates from in contact humans with the cattle were 30%, 33.3%, and 66.7%, respectively. Resistance to tetracycline (p=0.02), streptomycin (p=0.03), and sulfamethoxazole+trimethoprim (p=0.007) was significantly high in E. coli isolated from cattle on commercial dairy farms than in those isolated from cattle on smallholder farms. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the rate of resistance between E. coli isolated from in contact humans with smallholder and commercial dairy farms. Antimicrobial use for treatment purpose (p=0.04) and non-compliance with the drug withdrawal period (p=0.03) were significantly associated with the farm-level occurrence of MDR.

Conclusion: A high rate of resistance was detected in E. coli isolated from the feces of dairy cattle and in-contact humans. This necessitates an effective intervention through a one-health approach and further molecular studies are required to establish source attribution.

Keywords: E. coli; antimicrobial resistance; dairy cattle; humans.

Grants and funding

This study was financially supported by Addis Ababa University thematic research project.