By John Mutiso
A new study by the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital has revealed that more than half of market-ready fish in Kisumu are contaminated with Escherichia coli (E.coli), which is showing resistance to antibiotics.
According to the study, 60 per cent of market-ready fish in Kisumu are contaminated with E.coli, a bacterium that is normally harmless in the human gut but can cause serious infections such as urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and meningitis when antibiotic-resistant strains are involved.
“The study, conducted by a research team at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), tested 256 fish samples and found 153—or 60 per cent—tested positive for E. coli,” the hospital said in a statement.
“E. coli is typically harmlessly found in the gut, but pathogenic strains are a leading cause of severe human infections, including urinary tract infections (UTIs), bloodstream infections (sepsis), and meningitis,” it added.
Lead researcher of the project, Silas Onyango Awour, attributed the contamination to poor waste management and environmental pollutants, especially in Lake Victoria, where the majority of the fish in the region is sourced.
Additionally, the researchers noted that improper use of antimicrobials, substances that destroy microorganisms like bacteria, in fish farming has also contributed to the emergence of these bacteria that can be transmitted to humans through food consumption.
“The high prevalence highlights a significant risk of bacterial contamination likely linked to improper waste disposal and inadequate hygiene along the supply chain,” Awour stated.
“Pampers disposed along the road eventually find their way to the lake, and they are the main reason why the fish tested positive for E. coli,” he added.
Responding to the study results, Kisumu County Deputy Governor Mathews Owili stressed the need for the government to reinforce regulations to monitor antibiotic usage in aquaculture.
In the recent past, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the top global public health threats.
According to the World Health Organisation, AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million people succumbing globally in 2019 and indirectly contributed to 4.95 million demises.
The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
WHO cautions that AMR is making infections harder to treat and other medical procedures and treatments, such as surgery, caesarean sections, and cancer chemotherapy, much riskier.
