A Public Health Insight into in Poultry in Africa: A Review of the Past Decade: 2010-2020.

Poultry is a cheap source of animal protein and constituent of diets in Africa. Poultry can serve as a reservoir for and cause food-borne infections in humans. This review describes contamination of food, poultry, and the farming environment, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and serotypes of , as well as the farming systems, antimicrobial use (AMU), hygiene, and husbandry conditions used to rear poultry in Africa. Using the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis) guidelines, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases were searched using a set of predefined keywords. Full-length research articles in English were examined for the period 2010-2020 and relevant information extracted for the narrative synthesis. Of the articles that met the inclusion criteria, 63.1% were conducted on farms and among households, while 36.9% were undertaken at government-controlled laboratories, which quarantine imported birds, processing plants, and retail outlets. The farming systems were intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive. AMU was described in 11.5% of the studies and varied within and across countries. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates were detected in 30 studies and the prevalence ranged from 12.1% in Zimbabwe to 100% in Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa. A total of 226 different serotypes were reported. Twenty-four (19.7%) of the studies reported food-borne contamination in eggs, poultry, and poultry products at retail outlets and processing plants. The apparent extensive use of antimicrobials and circulation of MDR isolates of various serotypes in Africa is a concern. It is important to implement stricter biosecurity measures on farms, regulate the use of antimicrobials and implement surveillance systems, in addition to food safety measures to monitor the quality of poultry and poultry products for human consumption.