Antimicrobial resistant bacteria in poultry excrement sold as manure in local markets in Benin

Enterobacteria are host bacteria found in the gut of all warm-blooded animals. Many of these can be found in poultry faeces and can cause zoonotic diseases. This study was aimed to characterize Enterobacteria other than Salmonella from faeces of poultry sold in local markets in southern Benin. Fifteen markets in three cities were selected for sampling in Southern Benin. A total of 207 faecal samples were obtained from Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou and Ouidah. ‘’Association Française de NORmalisation’’ (AFNOR) standard (NF U: 47–100) was used for bacteriological analysis. The Api 20E Gallery was used for the identification of bacteria. Antibiogram was performed using antibiotics of different families in order to check the resistance pattern of the isolates. The resistance genes that were targeted for amplification by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were bla CTX-M1, bla CTX-M2, bla CTX-M9, bla CTX-M15 and bla SHV. Results showed that Escherichia coli was the most identified isolates (74.11%), followed by Citrobacter diversus (7.06%) and Enterobacter cloacae (5.88%). The identified bacteria showed resistance to cephalosporins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides and quinolones. The highest resistances observed were for quinolones and cephalosporins. The strains carried the bla SHV resistance gene (21.57%) as well as the fim H virulence gene (41.57%). As conclusion, the detection of multi–resistant isolates is a concern about the risks faced by poultry handlers since they are in constant contact with animals and animal faeces. Public health is also emphasized since majority of Beninese populations are consumers of meat. Graphic abstract