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Background: Salmonella enterica are important foodborne pathogens and the third leading cause of death among diarrheal infections worldwide. This cross-sectional study investigated the frequency of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella enterica in commercial and smallholder farm environments in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A total of 1490 environmental samples, comprising 800 (53.7%) soil (from poultry, pigs, sheep, goats and cattle farms), 409 (27.4%) pooled poultry fecal and 281 (18.9%) dust (from poultry farms) samples, were collected from 30 commercial and 64 smallholder farms. All samples were processed using standard culture methods. Isolates were identified by biochemical methods and confirmed using the VITEK 2 System. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out by disk diffusion following the EUCAST guidelines. Serotyping was performed using the Kauffman White Le Minor Scheme., Results: The overall Salmonella frequency was 6.0% (n/N = 90/1490); the frequency varied according to the type of sample collected and included: 8.9% for dust (n/N = 25/281), 6.5% for soil (n/N = 52/800) and 3.2% for pooled poultry fecal samples (n/N = 13/409). Salmonella was also recovered from commercial farm environments (8.6%, n/N = 68/793) than from smallholder farms (3.2%, n/N = 22/697) (PR = 2.7, CI: 1.7 - 4.4). Thirty-four different Salmonella serovars were identified, the two most common being Rubislaw (27.8%, n/N = 25/90) and Tamale (12.2%, n/N = 11/90). Serovar diversity was highest in strains from soil samples (70.6%, n/N = 24/34) compared to those found in the dust (35.2%, n/N = 12/34) and in fecal samples (29.4%, n/N = 10/34). Salmonella frequency was much higher in the rainy season (8.4%, n/N = 85/1007) than in the dry season (1.0%, n/N = 5/483) (PR = 8.4, 95% CI: 3.3 - 20.0). Approximately 14.4% (n/N = 13/90) of the isolates were resistant to at least one of the tested antimicrobials, with 84.6% (n/N = 11/13) being resistant to multiple antibiotics. All Salmonella Kentucky (n = 5) were resistant to ciprofloxacin., Conclusion: This study showed that farm environments represent an important reservoir for antibiotic-resistant Salmonella, which warrants monitoring and good husbandry practices, especially in commercial farms during the rainy season, to control the spread of this pathogen., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) and Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) present a high burden in both communities and healthcare sectors, leading to difficult-to-treat infections. Data on intestinal carriage of ESBL-KP and ESBL-EC in children is scarce, especially in sub-Saharan African countries. We provide data on faecal carriage, phenotypic resistance patterns, and gene variation of ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP among children in the Agogo region of Ghana., Methods: From July to December 2019, fresh stool samples were collected within 24 h from children < 5 years with and without diarrhoea attending the study hospital. The samples were screened for ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP on ESBL agar and confirmed using double-disk synergy testing. Bacterial identification and an antibiotic susceptibility profile were performed using the Vitek 2 compact system (bioMérieux, Inc.). ESBL genes, blaSHV, blaCTX-M, and blaTEM were identified by PCR and further sequencing., Results: Of the 435 children recruited, stool carriage of ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP was 40.9% (n/N = 178/435) with no significant difference in prevalence between children with diarrhoea and non-diarrhoea. No association between ESBL carriage and the age of the children was found. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin and susceptible to meropenem and imipenem. Both ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP isolates showed over 70% resistance to tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. Multidrug resistance was observed in over 70% in both ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP isolates. The blaCTX-M-15 was the most prevalent ESBL gene detected. blaCTX-M-27, blaCTX-M-14, and blaCTX-M-14b were found in non-diarrhoea stools of children, whereas blaCTX-M-28 was found in both the diarrhoea and non-diarrhoea patient groups., Conclusions: The carriage of ESBL-EC and ESBL-KP among children with and without diarrhoea in the Agogo community with a high prevalence of blaCTX-M-15 is noteworthy, highlighting the importance of both the population as a possible reservoir. This study reports for the first time the ESBL gene blaCTX-M-28 among the studied populations in Ghana., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Poultry has been suggested as an important source for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria that can lead to difficult-to treat infections in humans. Therefore, this study aims to determine the frequency, the genetics, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in domestic free-range poultry in Agogo, Ghana. The study was set up and piloted from January 2019 until June 2019. Between June and December 2019, fecal samples ( N  = 144) were collected from free-roaming chickens from domestic farms in the regions of Sukuumu, Bontodiase, and Freetown and cultured on ESBL screening agar. Strain identification and antibiotic susceptibility were performed using the VITEK 2 compact system. ESBL-producing E. coli were confirmed using the double disk synergy test. Molecular characterization of ESBL-associated genes ( bla TEM , bla SHV , and bla CTX-M ) were performed using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and further sequencing of obtained PCR amplicons. The result showed that 56.2% ( n / N  = 81/144) of collected fecal samples were positive for ESBL-producing E. coli . Majority of the isolates showed resistance to tetracycline (93.8%, n / N  = 76/81) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (66.7, n / N  = 54/81), whereas resistance to carbapenems was not found. The majority of ESBL-producing E. coli carried the bla CTX-M genes, with bla CTX-M-15 being the dominant (95.1%, n / N  = 77/81) genotype. In this study, we report high frequencies of ESBL-producing E. coli in smallholder free-range poultry representing a potential source of infection, highlighting the need for control of antibiotic use and animal hygiene/sanitation measures, both important from a One Health perspective.

In spite of ongoing eradication programs, helminth infections are still a medical issue in Ghana. For follow-up assessments on the decline of regional helminth infections, historic baseline prevalence values obtained with standardized diagnostic procedures can be helpful. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, real-time PCR targeting the nematodes Ancylostoma spp. (ITS2), Ascaris lumbricoides (ITS1), Enterobius vermicularis (ITS1), Necator americanus (ITS2), Strongyloides stercoralis (18S rRNA) and Trichuris trichiura (18S rRNA), the trematodes Schistosoma spp. (ITS2) as well as the cestodes Hymenolepis nana (ITS1), Taenia saginata (ITS1) and Taenia solium (ITS1) was applied with 2046 DNA eluates from stool samples of Ghanaian children from the Ashanti region collected between 2007 and 2008 in order to retrospectively define prevalence values. The overall prevalence was low with 3.8% ( n = 77) and only 0.1% ( n = 2) double infections with helminths were recorded. The three most frequently detected enteric helminth species comprised 2% S. stercoralis ( n = 41), 0.8% H. nana ( n = 16), and 0.7% N. americanus ( n = 14), while only sporadic infection events were recorded for other helminth species comprising 0.1% E. vermicularis ( n = 2), 0.1% Schistosoma spp. ( n = 2), 0.1% T. saginata ( n = 1) and 0.1% T. trichiura ( n = 1). A. lumbricoides , Ancylostoma spp. and T. solium were not detected at all. In conclusion, the retrospective assessment suggests a low prevalence of enteric helminth infections in Ghanaian children from the Ashanti Region within the assessment period between 2007 and 2008.

Poultry farming is a common practice in Ghana. Antibiotics are used, particularly in commercial poultry farming, as growth promoters and to prevent and cure infections. However, there is little information on antimicrobial usage in domestic poultry farming in Ghana. This study aimed to describe antimicrobial usage in commercial and domestic poultry farming. A cross-sectional survey was conducted within the Ashanti region of Ghana including 33 commercial farms and 130 households with domestic poultry farming. The median poultry population on commercial farms was 1500 (IQR: 300-3000) compared with 18 (IQR: 10-25) on domestic farms. The majority (97%, n = 32) of commercial farms used antimicrobials, compared with 43% ( n = 56) of the domestic farms. Commercial farmers were 6.1 (CI: 3.2-11.8) times more likely to read and follow instructions on antimicrobials in comparison with domestic poultry keepers. About 11% of domestic and 34% of commercial farmers had received education on antimicrobial usage. None of the commercial farmers used herbal remedies; however, 40% (n/N = 52/130) of domestic farmers administered herbs. The misuse of antimicrobials in domestic poultry production calls for stricter regulations and training to limit the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria among poultry.