Isolation And Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria from Dairy Farm Animals and Determination of Their Antibiogram

Abstract

Dairy farm animals are integral to milk production and agricultural economies, yet their health is often compromised by pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria from dairy farm in Agriculture University, Peshawar kpk, using milk, fecal and water samples. A total of 25 samples (10 milk, 10 fecal and 5 water samples) were collected from a dairy farm and processed in the Microbiology Laboratory of the Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar. The samples were cultured on selective media, including Mannitol Salt Agar, MacConkey Agar and Shigella Agar. Morphological, gram staining and biochemical tests were performed to identify the bacterial isolates. The results revealed that Escherichia coli was the most prevalent pathogen (48 %), followed by Salmonella spp. (28 %) and Staphylococcus spp. (24 %). Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed that 83.33 % of S. aureus isolates were methicillin-resistant (MRSA), with Vancomycin and Linezolid being effective against all S. aureus isolates. All the gram-negative bacteria, which comprised 76 % of the isolates were multidrug resistant. Piperacillin/Tazobactam emerged as the most effective antibiotic for gram-negative isolates. In conclusion, the study showed significant bacterial contamination in dairy farm environments and underscores the need for effective antibiotic stewardship to combat resistance.