Antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella serotypes isolated from slaughter animals in Kenya.
OBJECTIVE
To isolate Salmonella from food animals and characterise the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates.


METHODS
A random sampling of slaughter animals was carried out.


METHODS
Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nairobi, Kenya and Institute for Animal Breeding, Neustadt-Mariensee, Germany.


METHODS
Two hundred and eighty five samples, including faecal samples and carcass, cloacal and pharyngeal swab samples were analysed.


RESULTS
Sixteen (5.6%) of 285 samples were positive for Salmonella. The prevalence of Salmonella on pig carcasses (19%) was higher than in faeces (8.6%). Three Salmonella enterica sub-species enterica serovars, namely Saintpaul (S. Saintpaul), Braenderup (S. Braenderup), and Heidelberg (S. Heidelberg), were identified, with S. Saintpaul being the predominant serovar. Antimicrobial resistance was found in 35.7% of all the isolates. The S. Heidelberg isolates were susceptible to all the antimicrobial agents tested. Multidrug resistance was found in 7.1% of the resistant Salmonella isolates. Plasmids were only detected in S. Heidelberg. Ampicillin resistance was based on expression of a bla(TEM) gene, while chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and tetracycline resistances were encoded by the genes catAl, strA, and tet(A), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Pigs may serve as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella and slaughterhouse cross-contamination of pork may be a food safety risk. We recommended that slaughterhouse hygiene be improved to minimise contamination of pig carcasses.
Kikuvi
G M
GM
Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (ITROMID), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ombui
J N
JN
Mitema
E S
ES
Schwarz
S
S
D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005858:Germany; D007630:Kenya; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology