Isolation of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli O157 from goat caecal contents and carcasses in the Somali region of Ethiopia

Background: Toxigenic E. coli is an important cause of gastroenteritis in developing countries. In Ethiopia, gastroenteritis due to foodborne disease is a leading cause of death. Yet, there is no surveillance for E. coli O157 and little is known about the carriage of this pathogen in Ethiopia’s livestock. Also, antimicrobial resistance patterns are not well known in this part of the world. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of E. coli O157 in goat meat, caecal content, and environmental samples collected at a large abattoir in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The samples were enriched in modified tryptone broth containing novobiocin, and plated onto sorbitol MacConkey agar. Isolates were confirmed using indole test and latex agglutination. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disc diffusion method. Results: A total of 235 samples, including 93 goat carcass swabs, 93 caecal contents, 14 water, 20 hand and 15 knife swabs were collected. Overall, six (2.5%) samples were contaminated with E. coli O157 of which two (2.1%) were isolated from caecal contents, three (3.2%) from carcass swabs and one (7.1%) from water. All isolates were resistant to at least two antibiotics. Two isolates (33.3%) were resistant to over five antimicrobials tested. Abattoir facilities and slaughter technique were conducive to carcass contamination. Conclusions: This study highlights how poor hygiene and slaughter practice can result in contaminated meat, which is especially risky in Ethiopia because of the common practice of eating raw meat. The presence of multidrug-resistant strains of E. coli O157 in goats in a remote pastoralist system may be due to natural resistance and/or transfer of resistance from humans

Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. isolated from ovine carcasses and faeces in Ethiopia

The foodborne thermophilic Campylobacter species are considered to be the leading cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide with emerging antimicrobial resistant strains. Consumption of raw or undercooked meat is an important source for zoonotic infection. A cross-sectional study was conducted on sheep destined for slaughter at a slaughterhouse in Addis Ababa to determine the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. A total of 160 carcass swabs and 160 rectal swabs were bacteriologically examined from which 21 (13.1%) and 12 (7.5%) thermophilic Campylobacter spp. were isolated, respectively. Biochemical test results of the carcass isolates indicated 12 (57.1%) to be C. jejuni, 6 (28.6%) C. coli and 3 (14.3%) C. lari. Similar examination of abattoir environment pool samples of eight sampling days revealed 7 (87.5%) to be positive for the thermophilic Campylobacter spp. None of the wash water samples were positive for the bacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern test towards twelve antimicrobials using standard disc diffusion method revealed higher resistance (38.1%) for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and kanamycin (38.1%) followed by streptomycin, oxytetracycline and compound sulphonamide (33.3% each). Most isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone and clindamycin (4.8% each) and to a lesser degree to erythromycin (9.5%). Multidrug resistance was observed in 52.4% of the isolates examined. Isolation of thermophilic Campylobacter spp., with higher isolation rate for C. jejuni, the primary cause of human campylobacteriosis, from sheep meat and the existence of resistant isolates highlight the potential threat to public health. Therefore, implementation of Campylobacter prevention and control strategies from farm production to consumption of sheep meat are crucial

Quality of milk and dairy products under traditional smallholder system in northern Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, goats represent an important component of the farming system. In Abergelle, goats make the highest contribution to farmers' livelihoods, compared with other agricultural enterprises. Processing of traditional dairy products is an important activity by women that contribute to the nutrition and livelihood of the family. The main products are Kibe; local butter, Ergo; local fermented milk and Arera. However, hygienic conditions are often poor and milking practices are conducive to contamination. Farmers' local knowledge on traditional processing methods were assessed through a survey conducted in eight villages in Abergelle regions using a structured questionnaire aiming to collect data on milk production, processing and hygienic practices, to develop a safer, low-cost processing technologies. In total 375 households were surveyed. It was found that Ergo is mainly consumed by the family whereas Kibe is the main sold product for 44% households. However, processing Kibe is labour intensive 12%. Moreover, farmers are facing problems related to product quality. Due to hygiene conditions, product spoilage was observed in 28% of the farms. Product taste is attributed to proper cleaning and fumigation of the milk container with Ekema wood 43%, and 6% of households reported a problem of appearance due to elevated acidity of Ergo. Moreover, 91 samples of goat milk and milk products were collected. Analysis of milk components showed a big variation in composition. Fat content that is important for butter production was varying from 2.8-9.9%. Almost 60% of analysed milk samples tended to become acidic due to high microbial load. In addition, alkaline milk was observed in some farms indicating mastitis, which is confirmed by elevated values of electric conductivity, up to 7.3mS/cm. Samples found to have a prevalence of 5.4% of Staphylococcus aureus and 8.7% of E. coli. The standard plate count for 79% of the samples was ≥10^6, indicating a serious deficiencies in production hygiene. The quality of raw milk is a challenge for milk processing, and there is a need to focus on goat husbandry and management to produce healthy milk. Improving processing practices and hygiene is crucial to overcome constraints and enhance the livelihood of households

Feed, food and fuel: Competition and potential impacts on small-scale crop-livestock-energy farming systems

CGIAR System-wide Livestock Programm

Nitric Oxide Signaling Modulates Synaptic Transmission during Early Postnatal Development

Early γ-aminobutyric acid mediated (GABAergic) synaptic transmission and correlated neuronal activity are fundamental to network formation; however, their regulation during early postnatal development is poorly understood. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important retrograde messenger at glutamatergic synapses, and it was recently shown to play an important role also at GABAergic synapses in the adult brain. The subcellular localization and network effect of this signaling pathway during early development are so far unexplored, but its disruption at this early age is known to lead to profound morphological and functional alterations. Here, we provide functional evidence—using whole-cell recording—that NO signaling modulates not only glutamatergic but also GABAergic synaptic transmission in the mouse hippocampus during the early postnatal period. We identified the precise subcellular localization of key elements of the underlying molecular cascade using immunohistochemistry at the light—and electron microscopic levels. As predicted by these morpho-functional data, multineuron calcium imaging in acute slices revealed that this NO-signaling machinery is involved also in the control of synchronous network activity patterns. We suggest that the retrograde NO-signaling system is ideally suited to fulfill a general presynaptic regulatory role and may effectively fine-tune network activity during early postnatal development, while GABAergic transmission is still depolarizing