Determinants of animal disease and nontherapeutic antibiotic use on smallholder livestock farms

IntroductionReducing nontherapeutic antibiotic use (ABU) in livestock animals has been identified as an important way of curbing the growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, nontherapeutic ABU may be important for managing animal disease. In order to reduce nontherapeutic ABU, farmers may need to implement other complementary interventions to safeguard animal health and minimize risk. We should therefore investigate if nontherapeutic ABU is associated with better animal health outcomes before advocating to reduce it. We should also investigate non-antibiotic factors which protect animal health and can make nontherapeutic use less necessary, as well as factors which can encourage farmers to improve their antibiotic stewardship.MethodsThe study investigated these questions using data from the AMUSE survey, which is designed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to AMR in smallholder livestock farms. The sample included 320 animal herds from 216 smallholder livestock farms in Burkina Faso, with livestock species including poultry, small ruminants, and cattle. The determinants of the occurrence of animal disease and nontherapeutic ABU were investigated using binary logistic regression.ResultsResults revealed that nontherapeutic ABU was positively associated with animal disease, although the potential reverse causality of this relationship should be investigated further. Going primarily to a public veterinarian for animal health services, and having a higher level of formal education, were negatively associated with the occurrence of disease. Going primarily to a community animal health worker was positively associated with using antibiotics nontherapeutically, whereas going primarily to a public veterinarian was negatively associated with this outcome. Having an animal health professional (of any kind) provide diagnosis and treatment was positively associated with nontherapeutic antibiotic use for goats and sheep.DiscussionThese findings support the expansion of education access and public veterinary services as a way to encourage better antibiotic stewardship while guarding against any animal health risks associated with doing so. They also highlight that animal health professionals other than public veterinarians may prioritize animal health outcomes over antibiotic stewardship goals

Data_Sheet_1_Determinants of animal disease and nontherapeutic antibiotic use on smallholder livestock farms.docx

IntroductionReducing nontherapeutic antibiotic use (ABU) in livestock animals has been identified as an important way of curbing the growth of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). However, nontherapeutic ABU may be important for managing animal disease. In order to reduce nontherapeutic ABU, farmers may need to implement other complementary interventions to safeguard animal health and minimize risk. We should therefore investigate if nontherapeutic ABU is associated with better animal health outcomes before advocating to reduce it. We should also investigate non-antibiotic factors which protect animal health and can make nontherapeutic use less necessary, as well as factors which can encourage farmers to improve their antibiotic stewardship.MethodsThe study investigated these questions using data from the AMUSE survey, which is designed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to AMR in smallholder livestock farms. The sample included 320 animal herds from 216 smallholder livestock farms in Burkina Faso, with livestock species including poultry, small ruminants, and cattle. The determinants of the occurrence of animal disease and nontherapeutic ABU were investigated using binary logistic regression.ResultsResults revealed that nontherapeutic ABU was positively associated with animal disease, although the potential reverse causality of this relationship should be investigated further. Going primarily to a public veterinarian for animal health services, and having a higher level of formal education, were negatively associated with the occurrence of disease. Going primarily to a community animal health worker was positively associated with using antibiotics nontherapeutically, whereas going primarily to a public veterinarian was negatively associated with this outcome. Having an animal health professional (of any kind) provide diagnosis and treatment was positively associated with nontherapeutic antibiotic use for goats and sheep.DiscussionThese findings support the expansion of education access and public veterinary services as a way to encourage better antibiotic stewardship while guarding against any animal health risks associated with doing so. They also highlight that animal health professionals other than public veterinarians may prioritize animal health outcomes over antibiotic stewardship goals.</p

Whole genome sequencing of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated from humans and poultry in Burkina Faso

Abstract Background Multidrug-resistant Salmonella is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolates from patients and poultry feces. Methods Salmonella strains were isolated from poultry and patients using standard bacteriological methods described in previous studies. The strains were serotype according to Kaufmann-White scheme and tested for antibiotic susceptibility to 12 different antimicrobial agents using the disk diffusion method. The whole genome of the S. Typhimurium isolates was analyzed using Illumina technology and compared with 20 isolates of S. Typhimurium for which the ST has been deposited in a global MLST database.The ResFinder Web server was used to find the antibiotic resistance genes from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data. For comparative genomics, publicly available complete and draft genomes of different S. Typhimurium laboratory-adapted strains were downloaded from GenBank. Results All the tested Salmonella serotype Typhimurium were multiresistant to five commonly used antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamide, and trimethoprim). The multilocus sequence type ST313 was detected from all the strains. Our sequences were very similar to S. Typhimurium ST313 strain D23580 isolated from a patient with invasive non-typhoid Salmonella (NTS) infection in Malawi, also located in sub-Saharan Africa. The use of ResFinder web server on the whole genome of the strains showed a resistance to aminoglycoside associated with carriage of the following resistances genes: strA, strB, and aadA1; resistance to β-lactams associated with carriage of a bla TEM-1B genes; resistance to phenicol associated with carriage of catA1 gene; resistance to sulfonamide associated with carriage of sul1 and sul2 genes; resistance to tetracycline associated with carriage of tet B gene; and resistance to trimethoprim associated to dfrA1 gene for all the isolates. Conclusion The poultry and human isolates were genetically similar showing a potential food safety risk for consumers. Our finding of multidrug-resistant S. Typhimurium ST313 in poultry feces calls for further studies to clarify the potential reservoirs of this emerging pathogen

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance among Poultry Farmers in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Increased use of antibiotics in livestock is a public health concern, as it poses risks of antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant pathogens entering the food chains and infecting humans. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 216 poultry farms to study knowledge, attitudes and practices of poultry farmers on the use of antibiotics in urban and peri-urban areas of Ouagadougou. Results show that only 17.13% (37/216) of farmers attended training on poultry production. Majority of farmers—85.65% (185/216) were not knowledgeable about the rational use of antibiotics. When there was a disease outbreak, 31.98% (63/197) of farmers used veterinary drugs without a prescription and 22.34% (44/197) consulted a community animal health worker. It should also be noted that 79.19% (156/197) of farmers reported using chicken meat as per normal if the bird died during or right after treatment with an antibiotic. Knowledge of rational use of antibiotics was positively influenced by a good attitude adopted by the farmer during the illness of birds and negatively influenced by disease treatment success and high level of education of the farmer. Lack of knowledge about the rational use of antibiotics including their use without a prescription are serious risk factors for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Awareness of farmers and other veterinary drug supply chain actors such as drug stockists and animal health workers on best practices in antimicrobial use and promotion of good biosecurity on farms are important to reduce the misuse of antibiotics

Safety of ready-to- eat chicken in Burkina Faso: Microbiological quality, antibiotic resistance, and virulence genes in Escherichia coli isolated from chicken samples of Ouagadougou

peer reviewe

Berufsbildung in Subsahara-Afrika: Eine systematische Aufarbeitung des Forschungsstandes

Haßler B, Stock I, Schaffer J, et al., eds. Berufsbildung in Subsahara-Afrika: Eine systematische Aufarbeitung des Forschungsstandes. Bonn: VET Repository; 2019

Characterization of Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Isolated in Organic Waste Products (Cattle Fecal Matter, Manure and, Slurry) from Cattle’s Markets in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Cattle farming can promote diarrheal disease transmission through waste, effluents or cattle fecal matter. The study aims to characterize the diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) isolated from cattle feces, manure in the composting process and slurry, collected from four cattle markets in Ouagadougou. A total of 585 samples (340 cattle feces, 200 slurries and 45 manures in the composting process) were collected from the four cattle markets between May 2015 and May 2016. A multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), namely 16-plex PCR, was used to screen simultaneously the virulence genes specific for shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). DEC was detected in 10.76% of samples. ETEC was the most prevalent (9.91%). STEC and EAEC have been observed with the same rate (0.51%). ETEC were detected in 12.64% of cattle feces, in 6.66% of manure in the composting process and in 5% of slurry. STEC were detected in 0.58% of cattle feces and in 2.22% of manure in the composting process. EAEC was detected only in 1% of slurry and in 2.22% of manure in the composting process. ETEC strains were identified based on estIa gene and/or estIb gene and/or elt gene amplification. Of the 58 ETEC, 10.34% contained astA, 17.24% contained elt, 3.44% contained estIa and 79.31% contained estIb. The two positive EAEC strains contained only the aggR gene, and the third was positive only for the pic gene. The results show that effluent from cattle markets could contribute to the spreading of DEC in the environment in Burkina Faso

Resistance Genes, Plasmids, Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST), and Phenotypic Resistance of Non-Typhoidal <i>Salmonella</i> (NTS) Isolated from Slaughtered Chickens in Burkina Faso

The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in developing countries increases risks to the health of both such countries’ residents and the global community due to international travel. It is consequently necessary to investigate antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in countries such as Burkina Faso, where surveillance data are not available. To study the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella, 102 Salmonella strains isolated from slaughtered chickens were subjected to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to obtain information on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and other genetic factors. Twenty-two different serotypes were identified using WGS, the most prevalent of which were Hato (28/102, 27.5%) and Derby (23/102, 22.5%). All strains analyzed possessed at least one and up to nine AMR genes, with the most prevalent being the non-functional aac(6′)-Iaa gene, followed by aph(6)-Id. Multi-drug resistance was found genotypically in 36.2% of the isolates for different classes of antibiotics, such as fosfomycin and β-lactams, among others. Plasmids were identified in 43.1% of isolates (44/102), and 25 plasmids were confirmed to carry AMR genes. The results show that chicken can be considered as a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains. Due to the prevalence of these drug-resistant pathogens and the potential for foodborne illnesses, poultry processing and cooking should be performed with attention to prescribed safe handling methods to avoid cross-contamination with chicken products