Antibiotic Sensitivity Profile of <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Poultry Frams in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

A cross sectional study involving 300 cloaca swabs from apparently healthy birds from 8 small-medium scale poultry farms in Ibadan Oyo State was carried out. A total of 201 (67%)  Escherichia coli isolates were recovered from the birds and they were subjected to in-vitro antibiotic sensitivity test by agar gel diffusion method. Some of the isolates were grown aerobically in antibiotic breakpoints of 8µg/ml of ciprofloxacin, and 32µg/ml of each of chloramphenicol, tetracycline and streptomycin.

High level of drug resistance was observed in virtually all the tested antibiotics, and a 100% resistance level were observed from agar gel diffusion method for; augumentin, nitrofurantoin and amoxicillin. Ciprofloxacin, pefloxacin and ofloxacin were the most sensitive antibiotics despite the high level of resistance of 76.1%, 72.6% and 69.2% respectively observed in them for the bacteria isolates. The two methods used produced similar antibiotic sensitivity. However, going by the high level of drug resistance observed for most of the antibiotics tested from both methods, it is imperative to put necessary measures in place to ascertain achievement of food safety through curtailments of abuse of antibiotics among the small-medium scale poultry farmers, and thus prevent the possible spread of drug resistant pathogens from poultry and poultry products to human.

Keywords: Antibiotic- sensitivity, small-medium poultry farm.