Bacterial flora and antibiogram sensitivity in the preputium samples of healthy rams

This study was conducted to determine the presence of bacterial flora in the preputium samples of healthy rams in the province of Afyonkarahisar and identify the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolates. Preputial swab samples were collected from a total of 50 healthy 2-3-year-old rams in the center, districts, and villages of Afyonkarahisar, including 20 Merino, 10 Hampshire, and 20 Pirlak breed rams. Seventy-eight isolates obtained from the 50 clinically healthy rams were identified using standard microbiological and biochemical methods, as well as the VITEK-2 automated system device. Forty-four isolates were Gram-positive bacteria (56.4%), 29 isolates were Gram-negative bacteria (37.2%), and 5 isolates were yeasts (6.4%). Seventeen genera consisting of Acinetobacter lwoffii, Aerococcus viridans, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus spp., Candida spp., Escherichia coli, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Kocuria kristinae, Kocuria rosea, Kytococcus sedentarius, Lactococcus lactis, Mannheimia haemolytica, Neisseria animaloris, Salmonella enterica ssp. diarizonae, Sphingobacterium thalpophilum, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Staphylococcus capitis, Staphylococcus cohnii spp. urealyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus xylosus, Streptococcus ovis, and Streptococcus thoraltensis were isolated. The most frequently isolated species in the tested animals were Staphylococcus spp. (25.6%), E. coli (21.8%), Streptococcus spp. (7.7%), A. viridans (6.4%), Lactococcus lactis ssp. (6.4%), and Candida spp. (6.4%). The susceptibility of the isolates to ampicillin, enrofloxacin, erythromycin, florfenicol, gentamicin, tetracycline, ceftiofur, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was tested using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method (Bauer et al. 1966). Most isolates were susceptible to ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, and florfenicol, while most were resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, and ampicillin.