Abstract

PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PROFILE OF FOODBORNE PATHOGENS OBTAINED FROM STREET-VENDED FOOD SOLD WITHIN A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA

*Amaka Marian Awanye and Etoroabasi Uwem Uwah

Abstract

Food safety is of great concern in developing countries especially as the consumption of street-vended food is on the increase due to many socio-ecomomic factors. The study was carried out to identify microbial contaminants in street-vended food sold in and around a university campus in southern Nigeria. The susceptibility of microbial contaminant in selected food to commonly prescribed antibiotics were also studied. Our findings identified bacterial and fungal contaminants in the food items sampled. The frequency of bacterial contamination in the various food categories tested are as follows: boiled >> baked >> roast >> deep-fat-fried = fresh fruit. The frequency of fungal contamination in the various food categories tested are as follows: roast >> deep-fat-fried >> baked >> boiled >>fresh fruits. Among the bacterial isolates identified, Staphylococci were the most prevalent bacteria (38%) while E. coli was least (11%) isolated. Amongst all Enterobacteriaceae isolated, E. coli showed the highest (100%) degree of susceptibility to antibiotics (levofloxacin, gentamicin, cefoxitin and doxycycline). Staphylococcal isolates were least sensitive to tetracycline (100%), erythromycin (94%), clindamycin (82%) and cefoxitin (71%). Pseudomonas spp isolated showed >50% resistance to both levofloxacin and gentamicin antibiotics. Based on these findings, strict regulation of street vended foods is recommended so as to curb the many health issues associated with street vended foods.

Keywords: Street-vended food, antimicrobial resistance, food-borne pathogens.