Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and risk factors of Salmonella in Cattle, environment, and workers at gombe township abattoir, Nigeria, with an assessment of workers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Abstract

Abattoirs represent critical interfaces for zoonotic pathogen transmission, yet remain poorly characterized in many low-resource settings. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and risk factors of Salmonella in cattle, environment, and workers at Gombe township abattoir, Nigeria, with an assessment of workers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices. A total of 366 samples were collected from slaughtered cattle (caecal and carcass swabs), abattoir environments (slaughter floors, effluents, water for carcass washing), processing equipment (knives, tables, washing basins), and abattoir workers (hand and clothing swabs). Salmonella isolation was performed using standard cultural and biochemical methods. Overall, 47 of 366 samples (12.8%) were positive for Salmonella spp., with significant variation across sampling points (χ²=17.72, df = 9, p = 0.047). Highest contamination was recorded in effluents (22.5%) and slaughter floor swabs (21.9%). Molecular confirmation of ten representative isolates by PCR amplification of the 16 S rRNA gene yielded the expected 1500 bp product; isolates were identified as presumptive Salmonella spp. on the basis of cultural and biochemical characteristics. Resistance was predominant against ampicillin (95.7%) and azithromycin (63.8%), while ciprofloxacin (93.6%) and ceftriaxone (95.7%) retained high efficacy. MDR was detected in 76.6% of isolates. Abattoir workers showed a bimodal knowledge profile (50% good, 50% poor) and predominantly positive general hygiene attitudes (80%) and poor practices (80%). The presence of standing wastewater (OR = 4.03; 95% CI: 3.05-6.17; p = 0.028) was associated with Salmonella detection. Gombe Township Abattoir constitutes a significant reservoir of multidrug-resistant Salmonella, underscoring the urgent need for integrated One Health interventions targeting hygiene, surveillance, and antimicrobial stewardship.