The Spread of Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus Lineage IV in West Africa.

Monitoring the transboundary spread of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) virus is an essential part of the global efforts towards the eradication of PPR by 2030. There is growing evidence that Lineage IV is becoming the predominant viral lineage, replacing Lineage I and II in West Africa. As part of a regional investigation, samples collected in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Ghana were screened for the presence of PPRV. A segment of the nucleoprotein gene from positive samples was sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis revealed the co-circulation of Lineage II and IV in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea, and the identification of Lineage IV in Ghana. These data will be of importance to local and regional authorities involved in the management of PPRV spread.

Safety of Retailed Poultry: Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli From Raw Chicken and Poultry Fecal Matter From Selected Farms and Retail Outlets in Accra, Ghana.

Purpose: To assess the safety of retailed poultry using the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli), a dominant intestinal microflora. Methods: Two medium-scale farms and 8 well-known retail outlets within the La-Nkwantanang Madina municipality in Accra were purposively selected for sampling from January to March 2020. We randomly sampled raw chicken (n = 25) and poultry fecal matter (n = 50). All samples were immediately transported on ice to the laboratory for analysis within 12 hours after collection. Conventional culture techniques, biochemical tests, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) were used for isolation and identification. The antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated E. coli strains (n = 36) was tested using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: Antimicrobial resistance in E. coli ranged from 10.7 % (cefotaxime) to 82.1% (tetracycline) in fecal matter and 0% (gentamicin & cefotaxime) to 62.5% (tetracycline) in chicken. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistant E. coli in fecal samples was higher than in chicken for almost all antibiotics tested, except for cefoxitin, cefuroxime, and ceftazidime. Multidrug resistance was 57.1% in E. coli from fecal samples compared to 62.5% in chicken. Conclusion: The high level of resistance to E. coli in fecal matter is of public health concern because cross-contamination often occurs during slaughter and processing. This calls for close surveillance and strict adherence to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles in the chicken production chain to prevent the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli strains through the food chain.