The Incidence, Antibiotic Resistance and Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli Isolated from Broiler Chicken Retail Outlets

Abstract

The incidence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in chicken retail outlets in a residential area of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India., was studied with the view that accessories may be a source of cross-contamination. Accessories like cages, knives, chopping boards, weighing balance trays and the hands of the butcher were examined. A total of 14 Salmonella as well as 31 E. coli strains were isolated from different sources. Strains of which 13 were S. Enteritidis and 1 was S. cerro. The incidence of E. coli was higher than that of Salmonella. The highest incidence of Salmonella was found in chopping boards and the maximum level of E. coli was detected in cages. Salmonella and E. coli isolates were able to survive on different types of wood and metal surfaces for up to 24 hours at room temperature (28±2°C) without any nutrients. This showed that viable cells of both the bacteria could remain on the surface of the chopping boards, knives and weighing balance trays and cause cross contamination. All the strains of Salmonella and E. coli isolated were examined for resistance against 10 antibiotics. All Salmonella strains were resistant to neomycin, polymyxin-B and tetracycline and more than 90% were resistant to ampicillin. E. coli strains (100%) were found to be resistant to ampicillin, neomycin, polymyxin-B, sulphamethoxazole and tetracycline. Multiple antibiotic resistance indexing of both the strains revealed that they originated from high-risk sources of contamination, where antibiotics were often used. In conclusion, these organisms persist in the outlet for long periods and prevention of cross contamination of chicken meat will be needed. © 2000, Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology – The Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology. All rights reserved.