Antibiograms of faecal Escherichia coli and Enterococci species isolated from pastoralist cattle in the interface areas of the Kafue basin in Zambia - short communication

Antimicrobial resistance to a panel of ten agents was determined by the disc diffusion technique for 83 escherichia coli isolates, 29 enterococcus faecium isolates and 62 enterococcus faecalis isolates from faecal samples of apparently healthy pastoral cattle in the wildlife/livestock interface areas. Of all the e. coli isolates, 8% were diarrhoeagenic e. coli strains, 6% were enteropathogenic e. coli strains and 2% were enterotoxigenic e. coli strains. A high frequency of e. coli resistance to penicillin, erythromycin, cotrimoxazole and nitrofurantoin was observed. enterococci showed the highest percentage of resistance to gentamycin, amoxycillin, ampicillin and tetracycline. None of the e. coli strains and enterococci strains was resistant to tetracycline and vancomycin respectively. The results of this study underscore the presence of an animal reservoir of antibiotic resistant microorganisms that have the potential to enter the food chain.