ABSTRACT\

Bacteria present in the poultry environment could enter the flock and produce disease. One of the serious problems is that poultry farms if not properly and regularly cleaned serves as a nutritional source for the growth of several pathogenic bacteria and thereby causes disease outbreaks. A total number of 50 samples were collected from two poultry farms in Umudike. The sources were from the birds and the environment, which were processed in the Medical laboratory by standard methods. Seven isolates were observed which are E. coli, Coagulase negative staphylococcus(CNS), Proteus spp., Klebseilla spp., Streptococcus spp., Bacillus spp., and S. aureus while E. coli had the highest frequency. This study was undertaken to identify the bacteria isolated from poultry and its environment and to check their antibiotics sensitivity pattern. Antibiotics sensitivity pattern revealed that chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, augmentin, tarivid and rocephin were effective on the isolates, erythromycin was also sensitive to S. aureus, CNS, and Streptococcus spp.

TABLE OF CONTENT 

Cover page

Title page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of content v

List of table ix

Abstract x

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 Aims and objectives 3

1.2 Scope of study 3

1.3 Statements of problems 3

1.4 Significance of the study 4

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature review 5

2.1 Poultry and its environment 5

2.1.1  Issues at the level of production and processing unit 6

2.1.1.1 Local disturbances 6

2.1.1.2 Poultry carcass 8

2.1.2 Poultry manure 9

2.1.2.1 Nutrients 9

2.1.2.2 Heavy metals 9

2.1.2.3 Drug resistance 10

2.1.2.4 Pathogens 10

2.1.3 Environmental issues 11

2.2 Bacterial pathogens associated with birds and poultry farms 11

2.2.1. Enteropathogens 12

2.2.2. Non-Enteropathogens 15

2.3. Susceptibility of birds to bacterial infection 20

2.4 Zoonotic diseases from poultry and birds 23

2.5 Management of poultry farms for reduction of zoonotics 29

and foodborne illnesses

2.5.1 Farm management 29

2.5.2. Animal waste management 31

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Materials and methods 33

3.1 Study area 33

3.2 Sample collection 33

3.3 Media and materials used 33

3.4 Microbiological analysis 34

3.4.1 Inoculation of samples 34

3.4.2 Isolation and identification of bacterial isolates 34

3.5 Gram staining 34

3.6 Antibiotics sensitivity test 35

3.6.1 Disk diffusion method 35

3.7 Biochemical identification of the isolates 35

3.7.1 Catalase test 35

3.7.2 Coagulase test 36

3.7.3 Oxidase test 36

3.7.4 Indole test 36

3.7.5 Citrate utilization test 37

3.7.6 Urease test 37

3.7.7 The MRVP test: methyl red/Vogesprokaurtest 37

3.7.8 Sugar fermentation test 38

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Results 39

4.1 Results 39

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation 46

5.1 Discussion 46

5.2 Conclusion 47

5.3 Recommendation 48

References 49