Antimicrobial Resistance Profiling and Virulence Factors of Gram-Negative Bacteria Recovered from Poultry

Poultry farming is a significant sector of the global agriculture industry that has been identified as a major reservoir for pathogenic organisms. The widespread and indiscriminate utilization of antibiotics in poultry production, for both therapeutic and growth-encouraging purposes, has contributed to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant strains. Poultry litter harbors antimicrobial remnants and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, when used as fertilizer brings potential environmental risks posed by pharmaceutical residues and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The focus of this investigation was to determine the susceptibility patterns of poultry isolates to different antibiotic classes. Sum of 19 Gram negative bacterial isolates were detected from poultry litter and feed samples. The isolates were classified into three different bacterial genera namely Escherichia spp., Proteus spp., and Pseudomonas spp.. The isolates showed a moderate degree of resistance to nitrofurantoin, doxycycline hydrochloride, amoxiclav, and ampicillin, where 35.7% were resistant to ampicillin, 28.5% to cefotaxime and 7.14% to chloramphenicol. Variation in virulence factors expression among the isolates and their association with multidrug resistance (MDR) were also included in the study. The occurrence of moderate-level of resistance in poultry strains is an alarming situation posses great economic and major public health concern. These observations point to poultry farms as potential reservoirs of bacteria resistant to antibiotics that pose a risk of transmission to humans via the food chain. Hence, evaluating and ensuring the utilization of antibiotics in synergistic combinations is crucial to achieve effective outcomes and minimize the risk of emerging resistance development.