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Chicken muscle, liver and egg samples were collected from 33 broiler and 5 layer farms in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia over a period of two years starting from January 1996. Antibiotic-residue positive samples were identified in the products of 23 (69.7%) broiler and 3 (60%) layer poultry farms. 87% and 100.0% of the antibiotic-residue positive broiler farms were positive for at least one tetracycline compound in raw muscle and liver respectively, while 73.9% and 95.5% were positive for 2 or more tetracyclines in these two tissues, respectively. Furthermore, 82.6% and 95.5% of the antibiotic-residue-positive farms had mean concentrations of at least one tetracycline compound in excess of the permissible maximum residue limit (MRL) in raw muscle and liver, respectively. These compounds also remained chemically detectable after cooking. Tetracycline levels exceeded MRL in 14.4% of antibiotic-positive raw eggs but the overall mean tetracycline concentration in each farm was below MRL. This study confirmed widespread misuse of tetracycline agents including multiple use of drugs belonging to the same pharmacological group and lack of implementation of recommended withdrawal times. This may be contributing to the high resistance rates to tetracyclines in both chicken and human microbial isolates observed in the region. This study, therefore, stresses the need for stricter regulations for the use of antimicrobial drugs in the poultry industry as well as the inspection of chicken for drug residues prior to marketing. Public Health (2000) 114, 300–304 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from faecal samples from 117 poultry industry workers, 100 patients and119 healthy chicken were compared. Resistance of E. coli chicken isolates to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, spectinomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim + sulphamethoxazole (TMP + SMX) (range 57% - 99.1%) were significantly higher than those isolated from patients (range 21.9% - 71.4%) and workers (range 35% - 71.8%). However, for drugs not used in poultry, such as amoxicillin + cluvalanate (AMX + CLV), ceftazidime and nitrofurantoin, resistance rates of chicken isolates (range 0% - 2.6%) were significantly lower than those of patient isolates (range 8.7% - 30%). Resistance to spectinomycin reached 96% in E. coli chicken isolates and 71% in organisms isolated from humans. Use of this drug in Saudi Arabia is mostly limited to veterinary purposes. Multidrug resistance is alarmingly high in all groups but was highest in chicken isolates (77.4%). Serotyping of E. coli isolates showed that 27% of the organisms isolated from patients were overlapping with 10.9% of the chicken isolates, indicating the possibility of chicken being a source of the resistance pool for humans. We therefore call for the banning of antibiotics in the poultry industry as growth promoters and recommend that their use be restricted to treating infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of market-ready chicken muscle and liver from 32 local broiler farms were first screened for antibiotic residues by microbiological assay. The antibiotic-residue-positive muscles and livers from 22 farms were further analysed for norfloxacin (NFX) residues by high performance liquid chromatography. NFX was detected in 35.0% and 56.7% of raw antibiotic-residue-positive muscles and livers, respectively. The NFX-positive muscles and livers were respectively obtained from 11 (50.0%) and 14 (63.6%) of the 22 antibiotic-residue-positive farms. Since the maximum residue limit (MRL) for NFX has not yet been fixed, the MRL for enrofloxacin was used in the study. All NFX-positive farms had mean raw tissue levels, which were 2.7- to 34.3-fold higher than the MRL. Although cooking markedly reduced NFX tissue concentrations, mean detectable levels remained above MRL in large proportions of NFX-positive samples and farms. Susceptibility patterns of Enterobacteriaceae isolates from chicken and human patients to NFX showed alarmingly high rates of resistance in chicken isolates especially among Escherichia coli (45.9%) and Pseudomonas spp. (70.6%) compared with patients' isolates (10.5% and 18.2%, respectively). The study reveals widespread misuse of NFX in the local poultry industry, which may pose a major risk to public health including possible stimulation of bacterial resistance and hypersensitivity reactions to fluoroquinolones. More prudent use of fluoroquinolones in food-producing animals is therefore recommended. Further, there is a need to establish MRL values for NFX.

The potential toxicity of Acacia nilotica was investigated in rats maintained on 2% and 8% acacia diet for 2 and 4 weeks. A significant reduction in body weight in all acacia-fed groups and a significant decrease in the levels of hemoglobin, serum total protein and total cholesterol in animals fed 8% acacia diet for up to 4 weeks were observed. These effects were, however, reversed one week after treatment termination. No significant changes in serum parameters of hepatic and renal functions, fasting glucose and triglycerides were observed. Further, no deaths among treated animals and no significant histopathological changes in liver sections were noted. It is concluded that A. nilotica, at 2% and 8% levels, has a low toxicity potential.

Introduction and Aim: A sharp worldwide rise in bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents in both nosocomial and community acquired pathogens has recently been observed. This may complicate treatment of infectious disease or increase the cost of its management. It is, therefore, important to regularly investigate the patterns of resistance to antimicrobial agents at both local and national levels., Methods: The antibiograms of organisms isolated over a one-year period in King Fahd Hospital of the University were analyzed., Results: Of the 3679 microbial isolates of 35 types of organisms identified, the most common were Streptococcous spp (25.5%), S. aureus (16.1%), E. Coli (12.7%), Psueudomonas spp (9.3%) and Klebsiella spp (7%) High resistance rates (>50%) to ampicillin and to amoxycillin + clavulanate (AMX+CLV) were encountered in Enterobacter spp., and H. influenzae while in E. coli, the resistance was higher to ampicillin (60.0%) than to AMX+CLV (38.1%). With regard to S. aureus, 98.3%, 91.1% and 25.5% of isolates were resistant to penicillin, AMX+CLV and methicillin respectively but all were sensitive to vancomycin. High resistance (53% of 2830 isolates) to tetracycline was also observed especially in H. influenzae (80.5%), Streptococcous spp (72.9%) and E. Coli (54.5%). The same organisms were also highly resistant to trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole with rates of 75.5%, 80.4% and 48.1% respectively. Moderate resistance (26% of 1567 isolates) to gentamicin was noted but the drug remained very effective against most tested gram-negative organisms. In addition, multiple resistance to gentamicin and AMX+CLV was also detected in 24.3% of 839 isolates., Conclusions and Recommendations: It is concluded that the alarmingly high pattern of bacterial resistance to antibiotics may reflect the extent of use of each antibiotic in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. It is recommended that hospital antibiotic policies (purchasing, prescribing and dispensing) be based on, and regularly reviewed in accordance with hospital antibiogram results. A center for infectious disease control should also be established in each region of the Kingdom to disseminate information and coordinate antibiotic policies among hospitals.