Recovery and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella from fresh goat meat in Arusha, Tanzania

Meat products are clearly associated with foodborne pathogens including, antibiotic-resistant strains.  Population growth and growing consumer demand facilitate the transmission of foodborne pathogens, particularly in developing countries. To determine the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in goat meat, a study was done in Tanzania (June to July, 2015). Overall 120 goat meat samples were collected from five large and five small slaughter facilities (n = 60, respectively). Pre-enrichment for Salmonella isolation was done in Tryptic Soy Broth followed by selective enrichment in Modified Semisolid Rappaport-Vassiliadis agar. Isolation of Salmonella was done in xylose-Lysine-Deoxycholate agar followed by biochemical confirmation in triple sugar iron agar. The average prevalence of Salmonella was 60 and 63% in large and small facilities, respectively. Breakpoint assays indicated an overall low prevalence of resistance (2 to 4%; n = 219 isolates) to ampicillin, amoxicillin, streptomycin, sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim with complete susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime and cefotaxime. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in the prevalence of resistance between large and small facilities was observed. High probability of Salmonella contamination of goat meat from Arusha area of Tanzania can pose risks to consumers. Antibiotic resistance appears minimal in this population. Improved hygienic slaughter and meat-handling practices are encouraged to reduce the burden of Salmonella-positive meat products. Key words: Antibiotic resistance, goat meat, Salmonella, Arusha, Tanzania.