Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater as reservoirs for spreading extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in Abakaliki, Nigeria

EMMANUEL NNABUIKE UGBO (Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University. Enugu - Abakaliki Rd, 481101, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria)
JENNIFER INIOBONG JACOB (Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University. Enugu - Abakaliki Rd, 481101, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria)
MUSTOFA HELMI EFFENDI (Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Jl. Mulyorejo, Kampus C FKH-UNAIR, Surabaya 60115, East Java, Indonesia)
ADIANA MUTAMSARI WITANINGRUM (Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Jl. Mulyorejo, Kampus C FKH-UNAIR, Surabaya 60115, East Java, Indonesia)
BERNARD NNABUIFE AGUMAH (Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University. Enugu - Abakaliki Rd, 481101, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria)
AGATHA IFUNANYA UGBO (Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences. P. M. B. 211 Uburu, Ebonyi, Nigeria)
BENJAMIN IKECHUKWU MOSES (Department of Applied Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ebonyi State University. Enugu - Abakaliki Rd, 481101, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Nigeria)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 24 No. 9 (2023)

Abstract. Ugbo EN, Jacob JI, Effendi MH, Witaningrum AM, Agumah BN, Ugbo AI, Moses BI. 2023. Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater as reservoirs for spreading extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Biodiversitas 24: 4960-4966. The emergence of antimicrobial and multi-resistance extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms (ESBL) from the environment and hospitals is a serious global health concern. This research focused on the role of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater as a reservoir for spreading extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli. Exactly 110 poultry slaughterhouses wastewater was collected using sterile universal containers from abattoirs in Abakaliki. The samples were analyzed microbiological for the presence of E. coli using standard techniques. The E. coli isolates found were subjected to a sensitivity test to antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and further tested for ESBL-producing E. coli using a double disc synergy test and chromogenic media Brilliance ESBL agar. Of 110 wastewater samples analyzed, 55 (50.0%) were positive for E. coli contamination. The E. coli isolates showed antibiotic resistance ranging between 21.8% (amoxicillin clavulanic acid) to 69.1% (tetracycline), and good susceptibility was observed on cefepime (72.7%). Thus, among 55 E. coli isolates, 11(20.0%) were ESBL-producing E. coli with resistance patterns as follows: TET-STX-CAZ-CTX-FEP (four isolates); TET-STX-CAZ-CTX (four isolates); TET-STX-CAZ-CTX-FEP-CRO (three isolates), and average multidrug resistance index of 0.7. This study revealed that poultry slaughterhouse wastewater was a reservoir for multidrug resistance ESBL-producing E. coli. Therefore, properly treating wastewater from poultry production or farms before disposing into the drainage channel or water bodies is highly recommended to avoid spreading ESBL-producing organisms from animal waste products to humans and their environment.