Abstract:
In Ethiopia, most of the camel milk production is accounted by the traditional milk processing system and unhygienic handling that are generally poor in processing capacity, causing high product loss and risky for public consumption; milk can be a good medium for bacterial growth and can lead to food-borne diseases, such as NTS. Cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2022 to December 2022 in selected districts, of East Hararghe, Ethiopia. To assess hygienic practice, isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of NTS isolates from raw camel milk samples. A total of 210 milk samples were collected using by simple random sampling from household and local market. Isolation and identification of NTS was carried using standard bacteriological methods recommended by the International Organization for Standardization. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. Besides, a structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic data and potential risk factors for contamination of milk. Out of 210 raw camel milk samples tested, the overall prevalence of NTS was found to be 11.9%. The study result showed that prevalence of NTS was 13.6% (15/110) and 10% (10/100) in milk collected from Households and local markets of study areas, respectively. The prevalence of NTS was 12.265% at Babile and 11.5% at Chinaksan district of eastern Hararghe. The antimicrobial tested, NTS isolates were 100% resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin and oxy-tetracycline. It was also showed resistance to tetracycline (88%), streptomycin (40%), and chloramphenicol (24%) were the most resistant drugs. Null resistance to nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin were observed. The study showed spread multidrug-resistant NTS isolates in the study areas. Therefore, raw milk consumption and indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs should be discouraged. Provision of food safety education for milk handlers and further surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant isolates are suggested
