Prevalence of enteric bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among food handlers in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Enteric bacterial pathogens are the major causes of food-borne gastroenteritis in humans and remain important public health problems worldwide. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a global concern, particularly in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of enteric bacteria pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among food handlers in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 4 to April 16, 2018. A total of 257 food handlers were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data on socio-demographic characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. Stool samples were collected and inoculated into appropriate media. Enteric bacterial pathogens were identified using standard microbiological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using the disk diffusion technique as per the standard Kirby-Bauer method. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of enteric bacteria was 34/257 (13. 2%, [95% CI, 8.9–17.5%]). Shigella species was the leading isolate that accounted for 26/257 (10.1%) followed by Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157: H7 5/257 (1.9%) and Salmonella species 3/257 (1.2%). Shigella spp. was susceptible to ciprofloxacin 26 (100%), ceftriaxone 25 (96.1%), chloramphenicol 24 (92.3%), nalidixic acid 24 (92.3%), and gentamicin 20 (76.9%). Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Salmonella spp. showed the maximum (100%) susceptibility results to ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin. The overall prevalence of Multidrug resistance (MDR) in the current study was 14/34 (41.2%). CONCLUSION: Our study showed high prevalence of enteric bacterial pathogens among food handlers. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin. However, a substential number of isolates were resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics and the prevalence of MDR was high.