Background

The use of maggots, developed from chicken droppings as alternative fish meal might serve as a reservoir and vehicle for the widespread of single and multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria (MARB). This study aimed at investigating antibiotic resistant bacteria from chicken droppings and maggots developed from them, and the associated resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in their genomes. Freshly collected poultry droppings obtained from three commercial poultry farms, in Akure, Nigeria and maggots developed from their composting were plated on Luria–Bertani (LB) agar plates that had been incorporated with antibiotics. The emerged MARB were presumptively identified by conventional cultural microbiological methods and then authenticated using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in the genome of MARB were detected by standard molecular tools.

Results

Potential bacterial pathogens isolated include Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enterica, Providencia stuartii, P. rettgeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Alcaligenes faecalis, Paelnalcaligenes hominis and Micrococcus luteus. Seventeen ARGs were widely distributed among the 19 ARB/MARB. Tetracycline resistance gene was widely distributed among the ARB/MARB with prevalence of 62%, while macrolides and beta lactam resistance gene had 17% and 13%, respectively. At least six MARB isolates showed the presence of two or more class 1 integron, while five isolates was detected to carry two or more class 2 integron among the 19 MARB.

Conclusions

The results highlight a much higher risk of ARGs spreading through maggots derived from chicken droppings to humans and environmental microbiota.