Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance from bacterial culture and susceptibility records from horse samples in South Africa.

This research study focused on assessing the trend and prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in horse samples from South Africa, collected over a seven-year period by the University of Pretoria’s veterinary bacteriology lab. The study emphasizes the significant increase in antimicrobial resistance and the resulting public health challenge, particularly in developing nations.

Objective of the Research

• The research aimed to estimate the prevalence and trends of antimicrobial resistance in bacterial isolates from equine clinical samples, noting that there is little data published from South Africa on this topic.

Study Methodology

• The study spanned over a period of seven years, from 2007 onwards.
• A total of 1505 bacterial isolates were analyzed.
• The bacterial isolates came from horse samples submitted in different years including 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, with the number of isolates varying each year.

Findings of the Study

• For this particular study, multiple drug resistance was above 50% for all bacterial isolates, indicating a high level of antimicrobial resistance.
• The Cochran-Armitage test, a statistical method used to assess trend data, showed a significantly increasing trend in the prevalence of resistance to several antimicrobial agents.
• These agents included commonly-used drugs like amikacin, AMX/AMP, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin, and gentamicin.
• A variety of bacteria showed increased resistance to these drugs, including E. coli, Staphylococcus, Corynebacteria, Lactobacillus, Salmonella, Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, and Streptococcus.

Implications of the Study

• The findings suggest the urgent need for effective antimicrobial usage guidelines and their enforcement, especially in developing countries like South Africa.
• The increasing trend of antimicrobial resistance poses significant public health issues that need to be addressed globally.
• The data from this study is particularly useful for veterinary clinicians handling equine patients in South Africa, as it expands the existing knowledge on antimicrobial resistance in equine pathogens within the region.