Microbiological Air Quality and Antibiotic Resistance in Poultry Farms and Farmhouses

Investigating the microbial air quality of farms is very important for evaluating poultry's impact on the area's microbial air quality and the effects of human exposure to these emissions. The microbiological air quality of poultry farms, farmhouses, and their antibiogram were investigated to ascertain the air quality and antimicrobial resistance. The poultry farms assessed are in Ozuoba, Alcania, and Aluu in Obio-Akpor and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. The air microbial quality was determined using Koch’s sedimentation method by exposing sterile Nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, and Sabouraud dextrose agar plates one meter (1m) above ground level in the sites for the isolation of total heterotrophic bacteria, coliform, and fungi. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique with commercially available antibiotics. Total heterotrophic bacterial counts ranged from 2.31±0.21 to 4.31±0.63 log10 Cfu/M3, total coliform counts ranged from 0.0 to 2.4±0.2 log10Cfu/M3 and fungal counts ranged from 1.9±0.1 to 2.9±0.31 log10Cfu/M3. Percentage occurrence of the bacterial isolates were Bacillus sp (18.9%), E. coli (21.1%), Salmonella spp. (13%), Enterobacter spp. (12.5), Klebsiella spp. (9.5%), Micrococcus spp. (6.3%), Serratia spp. (3.1%) and Staphylococcus sp (15.6%) were isolated from the farms. Results showed that E. coli was the most dominant bacterial isolate followed by Bacillus spp. While Serratia was the least occurring bacterial isolate. The percentage occurrence of fungal isolates was Candida sp (13.2), Mucor sp (10.5%), Cryptococcus sp (13.2%), Rhizopus sp (7.9%), Penicillium sp (13.2%), Aspergillus sp (23.7%), Fusarium sp (7.9 %) and Microsporum sp (10.5 %). The most dominant fungal isolates were the Aspergillus spp. A high resistance (80-100%) to Augmentin, ceftazidime, and cefuroxime was observed for the Gram-positive and negative isolates. Additionally, S. aureus, E. coli, Serratia, Klebsiella, and Micrococcus spp. exhibited multidrug resistance. High microbial populations and types were recorded in the pens than in the living houses. Proper waste handling, hygiene, use of PPEs, and awareness of drug use are recommended to curb health-related diseases due to exposure to microbial aerosols and reduce antimicrobial resistance.