Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from local chicken in Bumbobi sub-county, Mbale District

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global public health concern, with Escherichia coli serving as an indicator organism for monitoring resistance in livestock. These study aimed to establish antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Escherichia coli isolates from local chicken Cloacal swabs in Bumbobi Sub County. One hundred fifty seven Cloacal swabs were randomly collected from local chickens however one hundred samples were cultured following standard protocols for a period of three months. Isolates of E. coli were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing on different antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The overall prevalence of E. coli in local chicken was 85.0%. Ampicillin showed highest resistance (89.4%) and least in ciprofloxacin (2.4%), with no statistical significant difference among the antibiotics used in the isolates of E. coli (p> 0.585). However, Multidrug resistance (MDR) of E. coli isolates (10.6%), showed slightly high significance different (p < 0.05). These findings reveal a high burden of AMR in E. coli isolates from fecal samples of local chickens, which poses a risk to animal and public health. Therefore, strengthened antimicrobial stewardship, farmer education on prudent antibiotic use, and continued AMR surveillance are recommended to mitigate the spread of resistant E. coli.