Desta KassuLegesse TesfayeAlamrew Demis2020-05-212023-11-062020-05-212023-11-062019-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/21272Background: Chicken egg is considered as a nutritionally complete food and an excellent sourceof protein. While highly nutritious, eggs are also one of the leading causes of food poisoning andfood borne illness in the world. In poultry industries antibiotics are used as a method ofpreventing, growth promoters and treating illness within the flocks. This contributes to thedevelopment of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Objective: To assess the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of Salmonella spp.,Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia Coli O157:H7 from chicken eggs in Addis Ketema subcity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A total of 380 eggs (76 composite sample) were collected from small scale producers and retail markets in the study area over a period of 6-month. The eggs were screened forSalmonella spp., S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 following standard procedures. Isolated bacteriawere subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test. Frequencies were used to assess the magnitude of microorganisms on shells and in egg contents. Independent and dependent variables wereassociated by kruskal Wallis tests using SPSS version 23. Results: About 14(9.2 %), 9(5.9 %) and 18(11.8 %) of the 76 composite samples were positivefor Salmonella spp., S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 respectively. The shells showed significantlyhigher (p<0.05) level of contaminations than the contents for both Salmonella spp. and E. coliO157:H7 microorganisms. On the other hand, S. aureus highly contaminant on shell than contenteggs even statically not significant. Salmonella spp. showed the highest resistance patternsagainst ampicillin (64.3 %), cefoxitin (35.7 %) and ciprofloxacin (35.7 %). E. coli O157:H7showed highest resistance against ampicillin (72.3 %), followed by cefoxitin (55.7 %) andtetracycline (27.8 %). In case of S. aureus, the greatest number of isolates showed resistance totetracycline (100 %) oxacillin (88.9 %), penicillin (77.8 %), erythromycin (44.4 %) andclindamycin (44.4 %). Conclusion: From the result of the study, the eggs marketed for human consumption in Addisketema sub city, Addis Ababa is contaminated with Salmonella spp., S. aureus and E. coliO157:H7 resistance to antimicrobial agents commonly used in veterinary and human practice.Therefore, the egg should be taken with caution and the public should be educated on thedangers associated with consumption of raw and under cooked eggs and egg products.en-USEggs, Bacterial quality and safety, Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, S. aureus, ASTThesis