The Emergence and Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance in Enterococcus and Its Implications for One-health Approaches in Africa

Enterococcus bacteria, usually found in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals and humans, are used as an indicator of possible environmental contamination with enteropathogenic microorganisms. This group of bacteria is shed by healthy livestock and humans potentially contaminating the environment and water sources and may consequently cause public health problems in poor hygiene setups. Mitigation of the adverse effects arising from this requires a One-Health approach to reduce animal and human infections, and avail safe food of animal origin in a sustainable manner. Notably, enterococcus infections emerge as important nosocomial infections, aided by escalating antimicrobial resistance, increasing population of immunocompromised individuals and inadequate diagnostic techniques. This chapter will elucidate the intricate web of transmission and infection as pertains to enterococcus occurrence in food-producing animals. Prevalence, public health implications and mitigation strategy will be addressed.