Antibacterial Activities of Lactic Acid Bacteria on Potential Multidrug-resistant Pathogens Isolated from Rabbit

Abstract

Rabbits are raised as food animal in Nigeria; and the possibility of transfer of infection(s) to humans cannot be ruled out. The overuse and abuse of antibiotics in treating zoonotic infections has contributed to the rise in antimicrobial drug resistance, therefore, alternatives to antibiotics are needed. The study was carried out to determine the antibacterial activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from rabbit’s faeces against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens isolated from the same rabbit. Twelve (12) faecal samples and twelve (12) fur swabs samples were randomly collected aseptically from apparently healthy rabbits from Ajibode, Ibadan and Research farm, University of Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. Lactic acid bacteria and multidrug-resistant pathogens were isolated using appropriate agar media and identified by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of isolated bacteria and LAB were determined by the agar diffusion method. Antibacterial activity of the LAB against the test pathogens was determined using agar overlay and agar diffusion methods. The pathogens Myroides gitamensis and Citrobacter rodentium as well as twenty (20) species of LAB belonging to Lactobacillus genus were identified and characterized. Lactobacillus plantarum had the highest (60.71%) occurrence among the LAB. Viable cells and cell free supernatant (CFS) of isolated LAB inhibited the growth of the test organisms with the largest zone of inhibition (40 + 0.0 mm) produced by Lactobacillus plantarum against Citrobacter rodentium. This study showed that LAB from rabbit possess considerable antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria from the same environment hence, can be suitable alternatives to antibiotics.