Objective. A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2013 to April 2014 to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus from beef of Addis Ababa Abattoir and butcher shops in Addis Ababa. Seven hundred sixty-eight swab samples were taken from the abattoir and butcher carcasses using a systematic random sampling. One hundred twenty swab samples were also taken from hooks, cutting tables, and knives from the abattoir. Staphylococcus aureus positive isolates were taken for antibiotic susceptibility test. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the abattoir and butcher workers to assess the hygienic practice and possible risk factors regarding the contamination of meat. Results. The prevalence of S. aureus in the abattoir, butcher, cutting table, hook, and knife was 9.4%, 19.8%, 15%, 15%, and 22.5%, respectively. The prevalence of S. aureus in the knife and butcher was found to be 2.8 (OR = 2.8, CI = 1.2–6.4) and 2.4 (OR = 2.4, CI = 1.6–3.6) times that of the abattoir results (p<0.01). The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was also conducted on 133 isolates of S. aureus using the disc diffusion susceptibility method. Bacitracin, neomycin, and methicillin were found to be 100% resistant to S. aureus. To avoid the presence of pathogenic Staphylococcus isolates, preventive measures using good hygienic practices during slaughtering and handling of the beef carcasses are recommended.

Animal sourced foods, such as dairy products, are common sources of Salmonella enterica, a foodborne pathogen of increasing global concern, particularly in developing countries. In Ethiopia, most data on the prevalence of Salmonella in dairy products is highly varied and limited to a specific region or district. Furthermore, there is no data available on the risk factors for Salmonella contamination of cow milk and cottage cheese in Ethiopia. This study was therefore conducted to determine the presence of Salmonella throughout the Ethiopian dairy value chain and to identify risk factors for contamination with Salmonella. The study was carried out in three regions of Ethiopia, including Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, and Amhara during a dry season. A total 912 samples were collected from milk producers, collectors, processors, and retailers. Samples were tested for Salmonella using the ISO 6579-1: 2008 method, followed by PCR confirmation. Concurrent with sample collection, a survey was administered to study participants to identify risk factors associated with Salmonella contamination. Salmonella contamination was highest in raw milk samples at the production (19.7%) and at milk collection (21.3%) levels. No significant difference in the prevalence of Salmonella contamination among regions was detected (p > 0.05). Regional differences were apparent for cottage cheese, with the highest prevalence being in Oromia (6.3%). Identified risk factors included the temperature of water used for cow udder washing, the practice of mixing milk lots, the type of milk container, use of refrigeration, and milk filtration. These identified factors can be leveraged to develop targeted intervention strategies aimed at reducing the prevalence of Salmonella in milk and cottage cheese in Ethiopia.

Background. In Ethiopia, livestock contributes 45 of agricultural GDP. Despite the economic role played by the sector, there have been little efforts to genetically improve the indigenous cattle. Morphological characterization of selected Ethiopian indigenous cattle has been made for (Bonga, Jimma, and Kerayu) cattle types. But, the selected indigenous cattle were not characterized at molecular level (genetic diversity information). Hence, this work was initiated to detect and determine the genetic diversity and population structure of selected Ethiopian indigenous cattle ecotypes using microsatellite markers. Results. Different alleles were identified (131) and thirty-three of these alleles were unique to specific ecotypes. All loci used were informative with PIC values ranging from 0.5 (TGLA126) to 0.84 (ETH10) with a mean of 0.70 per locus. The Shannon information index ranged from (I=1.02) ILST006 to (I=1.63) ETH10 with an average of 1.28 revealing there is genetic diversity. Moreover, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 84 genetic variation within a population and 13 variation among populations. The value of F-statistics (Fst) (0.129=13) indicated that there was moderate genetic differentiation among ecotypes. The (UPGMA) revealed, Bonga and Jimma clustered together while Kerayu cattle were relatively distinct, Principal coordinates analysis (PCOA) and structure analysis grouped the individual into different clusters confirming the presence of ecotype admixture due to geographical origins and uncontrolled mating. Conclusion. In general, this study has successfully characterized the genetic diversity and population structure of Bonga, Jimma, and Kerayu cattle ecotypes using high polymorphic/informative microsatellite markers. According to this study, Kerayu cattle have high AR and PA when compared to Bonga and Jimma cattle populations. So, the Kerayu population is more diverse than others and it is the hotspot for genetic diversity study. The generated information is very relevant for breeder and genetic conservation.

Salmonella infections originating from poultry are one of the major causes of food-borne diseases. To control Salmonella in poultry multifactorial approach is likely to be effective, and genetic resistance of poultry breeds to Salmonella infections may have valuable contribution. Experimental research was conducted to evaluate relative resistance of poultry breeds: Local, Fayoumi and Koekoek to Salmonella Typhimurium from November 2012 to May 2013. Total of 48 chicks were taken and half from each was randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. Treatment groups were orally infected with 107-9 S. Typhimurium at two week’s age. Samples were taken from week one post infection and continued every week till week four. Liver, spleen and lung were considered to determine relative bacterial loads and feces were added to identify S. Typhimurium. Highest bacterial load was found in Koekoek (1.95 log CFU/ gram) breeds than Local (0.71 log CFU/ gram) and Fayoumi (1.00 log CFU/ gram) breeds (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference of bacterial load between Local and Fayoumi was found. There was significant bacterial load difference among liver (2.01 log CFU/ gram), lung (0.95 log CFU/ gram) and spleen (0.69 log CFU/ gram). According to bacterial growth on XLD, Koekoek was found to be 4.26 times more susceptible to Local breed. There was no statistically significant difference between Local and Fayoumi breeds. In conclusion, local breeds were relatively found to be the most resistant among the three poultry breeds to S. Typhimurium. Key words: Bacterial load, breed, Ethiopia, isolation, organs, Salmonella Typhimurium.