Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology

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Browsing Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology by Subject "Dairy farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape"

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    Studies on the prevalence of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in raw milk, milking machines, cattle udder and hand swabs collected from selected dairy farms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
    (University of Fort Hare, 2016) Msolo, Luyanda
    Escherichia coli O157:H7 serotype has made its mark over the past decades as one of the common causes of gastrointestinal infections globally; responsible for a number of mortalities and hospilizations. Furthermore, the exploitative use of antimicrobials may support antimicrobial resistance in bacteria which is an alarming health concern in the world of medicine. In this study; the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Escherichia coli O157:H7 serotype in raw milk and milking utensils, cattle udders and workers hands, in three commercial dairy farms in the Amathole District Municiplality, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were evaluated. Raw milk samples were collected from bulk storage tanks and swab samples collected from milking machines, cattle udders and worker’s hands fortnightly over a six month period (June to November 2014). Spread plate technique was used for the enumeration and isolation of E. coli O157:H7 from the samples using sorbitol MacConkey agar plates supplemented with cefixime and potassium tellurite. A serological confirmation of the presumptive E. coli O157:H7 isolates was done using the O157 Latex agglutination test kit. A total of 252 presumptive E. coli O157:H7 isolates obtained were further subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rfbEO157 and fliCH7 genes, out of which 27(11 percent) of the isolates were confirmed positive E. coli O157:H7. The phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility profiles revealed that the bacterial isolates were susceptible to the antimicrobials in the following proportions: amikacin (70 percent), Doxycline (66 percent), cefotaxime (66 percent) and gentamycin (48 percent). Nonetheless; multidrug resistance was obtained with as high as 85 and 81 percent of the isolates resistant against penicillin G and tetracycline antibiotics respectively. Our findings also showed about 70 percent of the isolates showed resistance against erythromycin, while 52 percent of the isolates were resistant against streptomycin. These findings reveal that; the three selected dairy farms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa are reservoirs of the pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant E. coli O157:H7 serotype which is a cause for concern to public and environmental health.