Occurrence of ESBL-and biofilm-producing Enterobacteriaceae in commercial and backyard poultry in Andaman and Nicobar Island (India): exploration of the naive environment with occasional exposure to the civilized world

Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands (India) are the group of 572 islands (total land area: - 8,249 km2) out of which only 38 islands under three districts namely North and Middle Andaman district, South Andaman district and Nicobar district are inhabited. Nicobar Island is mostly inhabited by the tribal people with occasional exposure to the civilized world. Poultry production is the backbone for the rural community of these islands as it ensures cheaper but quality protein security, socioeconomic status, scientific skill development and poverty alleviation. It also creates employment opportunity and source of income for not only the women but also for unemployed educated youth and students. Commercial poultry of these islands consist of broilers (meat production) and layers (egg production) while backyard/free range poultry mostly consist of dual-purpose breeds such as Vanraja, Desi and Nicobari. The aim of the present study was to detect the prevalence of antibiotic resistant, extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and biofilm producing Enterobacteriaceae in three different districts of A&N Islands (India) and to establish clonal relationship between the isolates which is mostly unexplored. The cloacal swabs were collected from both commercial and backyard birds of the different islands including Nicobar Island for isolation of Enterobacteriaceae.

Author(s): Sneha Bhowmick

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