Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Pasteurella multocida in Village Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Pasteurella multocida is a highly contagious bacterial pathogen that causes cholera in chickens and water fowls. From September 2019 to February 2021, 600 samples, consisting of tracheal and cloacal swabs (300 samples each), were obtained from 300 seemingly healthy village chickens from households and live bird markets to evaluate the prevalence of P. multocida, test for its antibiotic susceptibility profile and multiple drug resistance patterns. Trachea and cloacal swabs collected were cultured on sheep blood agar and MacConkey agar, isolation and identification was based on morphological characteristics. Prevalence was higher in chickens sampled from live birds’ markets (27.0%) than those from households (16.3%), and higher in hens (13.3%) than in cocks (8.7%). Pure culture colonies were characterized using biochemical test and isolates identified by biochemical characterization were further subjected to Microbact GNB 24E test. Twenty three pure isolates of P. multocida were recovered, eighteen found in the trachea, and five in the cloaca, with an overall prevalence of 21.7%. Disk diffusion approach was used to assess in vitro susceptibility of isolates to 18 different antimicrobial agents. Isolates demonstrated multidrug-resistant to 15 of the antimicrobial compounds used. Antibiogram showed isolates to be extremely susceptible to ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and neomycin, and total resistant to erythromycin, amoxicillin/clavulinate, cefuroxime, ampicillin, enrofloxacin, tylosin, and furasol. Isolation of Pasteurella multocida from healthy village chickens, indicates they are carriers of the pathogen and that the bacterium has multidrug resistance. To control fowl cholera, it is also recommended that field veterinarians conduct sensitivity tests prior to administering antibiotics.