Akujobi, C. O.Ogbulie, J. N.Umeh, S. I.Abanno, N. U.2025-01-212025-01-212008Akujobi, C. O., Ogbulie, J. N., Umeh, S. I. & Abanno, N. U. (2008). Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in a government piggery farm in Owerri, Nigeria. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 2(3), 363-3671991-8631http://indexmedicus.afro.who.inthttps://repository.futo.edu.ng/handle/20.500.14562/1583The paper is a short communicationThe acquisition of antibiotic-resistant commensal Escherichia coli was examined in a cohort of newborn pigs. Faecal samples were collected weekly from young pigs over a 2 month period and screened for E. coli resistant to ampicillin, nalidixic acid, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin at concentrations of 16, 8, 8 and 8mg/l, respectively. E. coli viable counts were also performed on the samples. All the pigs acquired gentamicin-nalidixic acid- and ampicillin-resistant E. coli, while 80% acquired ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli during the study. Sixty-five per cent of samples were resistant to at least one of the four antibiotics. The prevalence of the antibiotics declined significantly with age and time (p<0.05). Total counts and antibiotic resistant counts declined with age (p<0.05), with the rate of decline in antibiotic resistant counts being greater than that for total counts (p<0.05). The cohort pigs rapidly acquired antibiotic-resistant bacteria shortly after birth and the carriage of resistant bacteria was associated with age.enAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 InternationalAntibiotics resistanceEscherichia colinew-born pigsfaecal samplesDepartment of MicrobiologyyArticle