Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr 28;11(5):591.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11050591.

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Listeria Species Isolated from Broiler Abattoirs in Lusaka, Zambia

Affiliations

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Listeria Species Isolated from Broiler Abattoirs in Lusaka, Zambia

Prudence Mpundu et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

L. monocytogenes is a public health threat linked to fast foods such as broiler chickens. This study aimed to verify the occurrence of Listeria species in chickens from abattoirs and evaluate their antimicrobial resistance. In total, 150 broiler carcass swabs distributed as cloacal (n = 60), exterior surface (n = 60), and environmental (n = 30) were collected. Listeria species were characterized using biochemical tests and PCR. We conducted antibiotic resistance tests using the disc diffusion and Etest (Biomerieux, Durham, NC, USA) methods. Overall isolation of Listeria species was 15% (23/150) 95% CI (10.16-22.33), 2% (3/150) 95% CI (0.52-6.19) and 13% (20/150) 95% CI (8.53-20.08) came from environmental swabs and carcass swabs, respectively. Proportions of positive Listeria isolates were L. monocytogenes 74% (17/23), L. welshimeri 22% (5/23), and L. innocua 4% (1/23). Listeria species from the exterior carcass swabs was 61% (14/23), cloacal swabs 26% (6/23), and environmental swabs 3% (3/23). L. monocytogenes had the greatest resistance percentage to the following antibiotics: clindamycin (61%, 10/23), tetracycline 30% (7/23), and erythromycin 13%, (3/23). Isolation of L. monocytogenes in relatively high numbers, including the antimicrobial profiles, suggests a potential risk of the pathogen remaining viable in the food continuum and a public health risk to would-be consumers.

Keywords: Listeria spp.; Lusaka; abattoirs; antibiotic resistance; poultry.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None to declare. Funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

References

    1. Chen Y., Knabel S.J., Microbiology E. Multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of bacteria of the genus Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, and major serotypes and epidemic clones of L. monocytogenes. J. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2007;73:6299–6304. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00961-07. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Orsi R.H., Wiedmann M. Characteristics and distribution of Listeria spp., including Listeria species newly described since 2009. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2016;100:5273–5287. doi: 10.1007/s00253-016-7552-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Troxler R., Von Graevenitz A., Funke G., Wiedemann B., Stock I. Natural antibiotic susceptibility of Listeria species: L. grayi, L. innocua, L. ivanovii, L. monocytogenes, L. seeligeri and L. welshimeri strains. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2000;6:525–535. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-0691.2000.00168.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kaszoni-Rückerl I., Mustedanagic A., Muri-Klinger S., Brugger K., Wagner K.-H., Wagner M., Stessl B.J.M. Predominance of distinct Listeria innocua and Listeria monocytogenes in recurrent contamination events at dairy processing facilities. J. Microorg. 2020;8:234. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8020234. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vitas A. Occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh and processed foods in Navarra (Spain) Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2004;90:349–356. doi: 10.1016/S0168-1605(03)00314-3. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources