Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology

Abstract

Prevalence and Molecular Detection of Escherichia Coli Isolated from Raw Cow Milk at Selected Collection Centers in Bushenyi District, Western Uganda: A Potential Risk to Human Health

Theophilus Pius*, Blessing J.S. Yashim, Ibrahim Ntulume and Paul Ssajjakambwe

Escherichia coli are known as commensal bacteria in the digestive tract of animals. It is an indicator of faecal contamination when detected in milk, and may be a sign of defective hygiene practices along the processing points. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, molecular characterization, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from raw cow milk at selected milk collection centers. The overall prevalence of E.coli in raw milk was 26.7%. The prevalence in the three areas was; Nyakabirizi (42%), Ishaka TC (30%), and Bushenyi TC (10%) with a p-value of 0.022, which is statistically significant to p<0.05, and the posthoc test also showed a significant difference with Nyakabirizi. Of the 23 isolates, 91.3% were susceptible to both chloramphenicol and nalidixic acids. Resistance was observed with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (47%), ampicillin (39.1%), and tetracycline (30.4%). Molecular characterization indicated one sample was positive for the H7 flagella gene after PCR and sequencing.

Published Date: 2024-08-28; Received Date: 2024-07-29