Abstract

Antibiotic usage in poultry farms is causing a rise in concerns since it acts as a breeding ground for antimicrobial resistance in infectious bacteria. The antibiotic resistance profiles of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in poultry litter and the soil around the farm that generates this litter were examined in this study. E. coli was isolated and identified using a biochemical assay on Eosin Methylene blue agar. The disc diffusion method was used to assess antibiotic susceptibility against 12 antibiotics, and the multiple antibiotic resistance indexes were established. Resistance to cefotaxime, imipenem, gentamycin, and levofloxacin was found in 50% of the 36 E. coli isolates obtained from all samples. Of the 76% that demonstrated resistance to at least three medications, 100% were multidrug resistant (MDR). Cefotaxime (100%), imipenem, augmentin, and cefuroxime (94% each) had the highest proportion of resistance. The lowest resistance rates were 39%, 17%, 14%, and 8% for nalidixic acid, ceftriaxone, nitrofurantoin, and ofloxacin, respectively. The majority of the 100% (36/36) MDR (72%) were isolated from chicken litter, while the least (28%) were isolated from soil samples. The poultry litter had a higher mean MAR index than the soil. Although there was no statistically significant difference, comparison of resistance pattern in E. coli isolates from surrounding soil of the poultry farm to profiles of E. coli produced from poultry litter on the farm showed that they were substantially comparable. This indicates that poultry farms could serve as a source of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli strains.