RESUMO
Aim: Enumeration of bacterial counts is an important index of assessing the safety and quality of food products. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria in white shrimp samples obtained from major markets serving consumers in Calabar. Study Design: This study was a cross sectional study conducted between April 2017 and April 2018. Methodology: One hundred and twenty (120) samples of smoked dried Nematopalaemon hastatus (white shrimp) were analyzed for the presence of bacterial pathogens. Bacterial loads and identification of isolated organisms was determined using standard microbiological methods. Results: The results showed that 66.7% of the analyzed shrimps had aerobic bacterial counts exceeding the upper permissible limit (<1.0x106Cfu/g) and 56.7% had unsatisfactory (?20Cfu/g) Vibrio counts. The study revealed the presence of different bacteria genera namely Klebsiella, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Vibrio, Citrobacter, Proteus, Aeromonas, Streptococcus, Escherichia, Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS), Enterobacter and Bacillus. Predominant organism was Salmonella spp (26.7%), followed by Vibrio spp (21.7%) while the least isolated organisms were Bacillus spp and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (1.7%) each. The occurrence of high counts of pathogens in seafood may cause food poisoning; especially in individuals who consume this seafood raw, or lightly or insufficiently cooked. Conclusion: Hence, seafood should be processed and packaged under standard hygienic conditions to reduce the risk of microbial contamination. In addition, public health awareness campaign targeted at consumers and vendors should be optimized with frequent monitoring by regulatory agencies.
RESUMO
Background: Healthcare environments are considered as potential reservoirs for pathogenic microorganisms especially those responsible for nosocomial infections. Such microorganisms often present with varying degrees of drugs resistance. This study was aimed at evaluating the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Medical Center Environment for the presence of pathogenic bacterial contaminants and antibiotics susceptibility profile of such isolates. Materials and Methodology: A total of 72 swab samples were collected from nineteen frequently touched hospital surfaces and processed using the standard bacteriological procedures. The emergent bacterial colonies were identified using phenotypic and biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the presumptively identified isolates was carried out using Kirby-Bauer抯 method. Results: Out of 72 swab samples collected, 44 (61.1%) were positive for Enteric bacterial pathogens. The mean viable count ranged from 1.8 x 106 Cfu/cm2 (weighing scales) to 2.41 x 107 Cfu/cm2 (wash sinks). The most prevalent isolate was E. coli (48 of 127, 37.8%) followed by Klebseilla sp (27 of 127, 21.3%), Salmonella sp (19 of 127, 14.9%), Proteus sp (12 of 127, 9.4%), Citrobacter sp (11 of 127, 8.7%), Enterobacter sp (7 of 127, 5.5%) while Shigella sp (3 of 127, 2.4%) was least isolated. Isolates demonstrated high level of susceptibility to Norfloxacin 124 (97.6%), Imipenem 116 (91.3%) and Chloramphenicol 105 (82.7%). Resistance to Erythromycin was 95 (74.8%), Gentamycin 84 (66.1%) and Amikacin 82 (64.6%). Conclusion: Contamination of healthcare surfaces by multi-drugs resistant pathogens is a potential risk, especially to hospitalized patients and health care workers. Thus, it is therefore imperative that appropriate hygienic measures be implemented to suppress any potential microbial cross-contamination.