Prevalence and antibiotic resistance characteristics of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serotypes isolated from food and water consumed by children under five years in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda

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dc.contributor.authorMpagi, Ronald
dc.contributor.authorOkidi, Lawrence
dc.contributor.authorOngeng, Duncan
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-06T08:13:01Z
dc.date.available2025-11-06T08:13:01Z
dc.date.issued2025-09-02
dc.description.abstractKaramoja, a sub-region in North Eastern Uganda, has consistently experienced a high prevalence of diarrhoea and undernutrition among children under five (CUF) for over a decade. Microbiologically unsafe food is believed to be a key factor for the high prevalence of diarrhoea-associated undernutrition CUF in the sub-region, but specific causative agents have largely remained undelineated. This study investigated the prevalence, serotypes, antibiotic resistance (AMR) characteristics, and association between AMR phenotypes and AMR genes (ARGs) among non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) enterica serotypes isolated from water and food in the sub-region. Isolates (45) confirmed by invA PCR amplification were PCR-serotyped targeting various serotype-conserved genes and tested for phenotypic AMR against nine antibiotics and for the presence of ARGs using PCR. Overall prevalence of NTS was at 50%, with S. Typhimurium (53%) being the most dominant, followed by S. Infantis (16%), S. Enteritidis (9%), and S. Dublin (4%). Phenotypic resistance was highest for azithromycin (91.1%) followed by ciprofloxacin (31.1%), cefixime (20%), cefotaxime (20%), ceftazidime (15.6%), ceftriaxone (6.7%), cotrimoxazole (6.7%), chloramphenicol (6.7%) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (2.2%). The most prevalent ARGs were mefA (95.3%), gyrA (94.9%), parC (92.3%), blaPSE (81.3%), sul1 (66.6%), and sul2 (66.6%) encoding for macrolides, quinolones, beta-lactams, and sulphonamides, respectively. Phenotypic resistance to beta-lactams, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, and ciprofloxacin was strongly correlated with the presence of blaPSE, floR, sul1, and parC, respectively (pā€‰<ā€‰0.05). This study has revealed that foods and water in Karamoja sub-region are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant NTS enterica serotypes and therefore need remediation.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and Mastercard Foundation through the ā€œTransforming African Agricultural Universities to meaningfully contribute to Africaā€™s Growth and Development (TAGDev)ā€ project at Gulu University (Grant number: RU2016MCF002).
dc.identifier.citationMpagi, R., Okidi, L., & Ongeng, D. (2025). Prevalence and antibiotic resistance characteristics of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serotypes isolated from food and water consumed by children under five years in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda. Food Safety and Risk, 12(1), 8.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40550-025-00117-x
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14270/706
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBMC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVol. 12; 8
dc.subjectSalmonella
dc.subjectPrevalence
dc.subjectSerotypes
dc.subjectAntimicrobial resistance
dc.titlePrevalence and antibiotic resistance characteristics of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serotypes isolated from food and water consumed by children under five years in Karamoja sub-region of Uganda
dc.typeArticle

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