PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOTICS SENSITIVITY PATTERN OF BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH PIG FARM WORKERS ACROSS THREE SENATORIAL DISTRICTS IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Occupational exposure to zoonotic bacteria among workers at pig farms in sub-Saharan Africa is common, but there are very few studies on surveillance of zoonotic bacteria in the North-Central states of Nigeria. The current research aimed at studying the levels, frequency, patterns of antibiotic resistance, virulence, and molecular typing of bacteria found in pig farm workers in the three senatorial districts of Kogi State, Nigeria. Swabs from nose and skin/palm of 110 pig farm workers (Kogi West, n = 37; Kogi East, n = 37; Kogi Central, n = 36) were collected. Isolation of the bacterial isolates was conducted using conventional culture techniques, morphology, and biochemistry. The susceptibility test to antibiotics was carried out using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and the MAR index determined. The highest level of heterotrophic bacteria detected from the hand of workers in the pig farms was 12.56 ± 2.28 × 10⁵ CFU/cm2 in Kogi West while the highest bacteria count from the nose was 19.25 ± 3.02 × 10⁵ CFU/mL. A total of eight different bacteria were isolated including; Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hyicus, Streptococcus suis, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enteritidis, and Proteus mirabilis. Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was the most common bacterial strain being found at levels of 30% and 33% in the nasal and skin samples, respectively. Levels of Escherichia coli bacteria colonization varied between 20% (Kogi Central) to 34% (Kogi East). Multidrug resistance was found with 9.5% and 64.1% resistance to ciprofloxacin for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, in the most endemic place. The virulent and multidrug resistant zoonotic pathogens were isolated among the employees in pig farms in Kogi State, which is one of the greatest health threats.