Bacteria and Fungi Assessment Associated With Poultry Feeds from Different Locations

ABSTRACTPoultry feeds are food materials used in raising poultry birds. Poultry is the second most widely eaten meat in the world, accounting for about 38% of the world meat. The diseases of poultry is like the disease of other animals. They may be caused by pathogenic organisms, nutritional deficiency and from wound. This study was designed and carried out to determine the load and species of fungi and bacteria contaminating poultry feeds. A total of 4 samples were collected from different feed types and source of feeds inside poultry farm and market feeds. Microbiological analysis revealed a significant presence of some bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp, Pseudomonas spp, Bacillus spp, Enterococcus spp and Shigella spp. The fungi analysis identified Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumegatus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Penicillium spp, Fusarium spp, Rhizopus nigricans, Mucor spp, and Cladosporium spp. Antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed alarming rates of resistance among isolated bacteria, highlighting concerns for poultry health and food safety. It is concluded that poultry feeds, especially those inside farms are harboring potential pathogenic bacteria and fungi loads that are far above the acceptable levels, thus constituting a public health hazard and necessitate the application of the standard measures for production of feeds by manufacturers and health authorities. Therefore, the study recommends that hygienic production of poultry feed is a public health issue, proper treatment of feed ingredients and application of hygienic measures, starting from harvesting of feed ingredients to the storage, processing of feeds, packaging, transporting and eventually marketing of the bagged feeds is need of the hour. The findings provide valuable insights for the poultry industry, regulatory authorities, and researchers to develop targeted strategies for mitigating microbial contamination in poultry feeds.