Abstract:
Raw milk is commonly consumed by individuals with a traditional preference for
consumption (traditional diets) in Ethiopia. However, unhygienic conditions during milking,
handling practices, storage in unsanitary utensils and transportation long distances by foot at
ambient temperature are risky to milk contamination leads to human infection. This study was
designed to determine the prevalence and assess the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli and E.
coli O157:H7 isolated along camel milk chains from udder to market points, milk equipment
swabs, milker hand swabs and water they use to clean milk equipment samples in Doba
District, West Hararge Zone, Oromia Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional
study was conducted from July to November, 2021. The isolation and identification processes
passed through milk sample about 0.01ml (loop full milk sample) streaked onto MacConkey
agar, then EMB agar and Cefixime- tellurite sorbitol MacConkey agar, biochemical testing
(indole, methyl red, Voges- Proskauer and citrate ), followed by latex agglutination test. Out
of 544 samples, 117(21.51%) were positive for E. coli about 91(16.73%) non O157:H7 E.coli
and 26 (4.78%) E. coli O157:H7 were isolated. About 79(16.25%) and 12 (20.69%) of non
O157:H7 E. coli and 20 (4.12%) and 6 (10.34%) of E. coli O157:H7 were isolated from milk
sample and environmental samples, respectively. A significant difference in the occurrences
of E.coli O157:H7 at P-Value 0.036 was observed among sample sources. Antimicrobials
resistance test result showed that, isolates were 100% resistance to, ampicillin for non
O157:H7 E. coli and 97.1% E. coli O157:H7 respectively. About 95.2%, 64.6% and 45.2% of
non O157:H7 E. coli and 92. 8%, 74.5 % and 62.7% of E. coli O157:H7 were resistance to
Amoxicillin, tetracycline and sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim respectively. This study
indicate that there is high occurrence of E.coli due to poor handling practices along milk
supply chain starting from udder hygiene to selling point (from milking to market point).
Strategies in the prevention and control of food borne infections that could be caused by
multi-drug resistant strains shall depends how much on hygienic milking and handling
practices of milk improved
