Occurrence and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Escherichia coli along the Sheep Meat Production Chain: A One Health Approach.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial-resistant foodborne bacteria circulating among animals, humans, and the environment pose a significant threat to public health worldwide. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of E. coli along the sheep meat production chain using a One Health approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 224 samples were collected over a six-month period from sheep farms and meat processing environments. Isolation and confirmation of E. coli were performed using standard microbiological methods, and confirmed isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing against ten commonly used antibiotics. RESULTS: Overall, E. coli was detected in 35.7% (80/224) of the samples, with a significantly higher (P=0.018) occurrence in processing environments (42.9%, 48/112) than on farms (28.6%, 32/112). On farms, the occurrence of E. coli ranged from 0 to 81.3%, with faecal samples recording the highest prevalence, while no isolates were recovered from feed obtained from bulk storage. In processing environments, occurrence ranged from 12.5 to 68.8%, with processors' hand swabs exhibiting the highest contamination level and processing table swabs recording the lowest. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that farm-derived E. coli isolates exhibited the highest resistance to amoxicillin (57.7%) but remained highly susceptible (≥ 95) to chloramphenicol and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. In contrast, isolates from processing environments showed the highest resistance to tetracycline (60.5%) and highest susceptibility to chloramphenicol (76.3%). Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices ranged from 0.0 to 0.7 among farm isolates and from 0.0 to 0.8 among isolates from processing environments, indicating varying levels of antimicrobial exposure and selection pressure along the production chain. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate that E. coli contamination occurs at multiple points along the sheep meat production chain, with processing environments serving as potential reservoirs for antimicrobial-resistant strains. The detection of multidrug-resistant E. coli across animal, human, and environmental interfaces highlights the interconnected nature of antimicrobial resistance and underscores the importance of the One Health approach in surveillance and control efforts. RECOMMENDATION: Strengthening hygiene and sanitation practices, together with promoting prudent antimicrobial use are essential to reducing the risk of foodborne infections and the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance within the sheep food production system.