Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance among Escherichia coli and Salmonella in Ontario smallholder chicken flocks

The objective of this study was to establish baseline information of antimicrobial resistance presence in E. coli and Salmonella isolated from smallholder flocks in Ontario, utilizing CIPARS collection and isolation methodologies, and to compare findings with CIPARS federally inspected abattoir data from Ontario, Canada. Five chickens per flock were sampled from 205 smallholder flocks. Of 1,025 samples, the E. coli prevalence was 99% (1,022/1,025), and 47% (483/1,022) of positive E. coli isolates were resistant to one or more of the 14 antimicrobials. Furthermore, as compared to results reported for the CIPARS commercial flocks, E. coli isolates from smallholder flocks had significantly lower resistance prevalence to six of 14 individual antimicrobials. Recovery of E. coli did not differ between federally inspected and provincially inspected flocks. Salmonella prevalence at the bird level in smallholder flocks was 0.3% (3/1,025), significantly lower (p ≪ 0.0001, 95% CI 0.080%–0.86%) than federally inspected commercial flocks. The overall differences found between the commercial and smallholder flocks may be explained by differences in poultry husbandry practices and hatchery sources.

Source: Zoonoses and Public Health - August 1, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: L. Lebert, S. ‐L. Martz, N. Janecko, A. E. Deckert, A. Agunos, A. Reid, J. E. Rubin, R. J. Reid‐Smith, S. A. McEwen Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research