Over the years, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a nosocomial and community pathogen worldwide, causing a plethora of diseases. A distinctive type of MRSA has also emerged in livestock and companion animals. Its isolation in chicken has been reported in some countries and its propensity for zoonotic transmission potentially represents a serious risk-factor for poultry farm workers and the general population. Nasal and cloacae swabs of chickens selected at random from 9 poultry farms and clinical isolates of staphylococci from Ebonyi State, Nigeria, were collected and screened for S. aureus using standard microbiological procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the S. aureus to a panel of 14 commonly used and regulated antibiotics in the area were determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc agar diffusion (DAD) method according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Out of a total of 325 S. aureus isolated, 76% (247/325) were from poultry, while 24% (78/325) were from the clinics. The prevalence rates of S. aureus in broilers and layers were 49% and 51% respectively. The percentage carriage of MRSA in poultry was 6.1% and 15.3% in the clinics. The percentage of isolates showing multi antibiotic resistance index (MARI) of 0.3 and above was 13.97% displaying 46 antibiotic resistance patterns. All the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were multidrug resistant. This underscores the need for discretion in the application of antibiotics in animal feeds and its empirical use in the hospitals.
Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, Isolates., MRSA, Multidrug-Resistance-Index, Poultry, Staphylococcus Aureus
