International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences
ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 2 Number 10 (2013) pp. 306-313
Microbiological analysis and antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of microorganisms isolated from vegetables sold in Akure, Nigeria.
B.J.Akinyele, B.O.Oladejo*, E.O.Bankefa and S.A.Ayanyemi
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 704, Akure, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Fresh vegetables is a good source of various components of food that enhances a healthy living, but evidence shows that they promote the growth of microbes which also deteriorate the food and subsequently causes adverse effect on the health of consumers. Microbial investigation was conducted on two different vegetable samples; Senecio biafrae (worowo) and Amaranthus cruentus (African spinach) collected from three different locations in Akure, Nigeria. The bacterial count ranged from 2.57 x 105 to 7.6 x 105 cfu/ml for Senecio biafrae and 1.0 x 105 to 4.3 x 105 cfu/ml for Amaranthus cruentus samples while the fungal count ranged from 3.0 x 10 2 to 5.0 x 10 2 sfu/ml for Senecio biafrae and 2.52 x 10 2 to 7.4 x 10 2 sfu/ml for Amaranthus cruentus samples. Eight bacteria belonging to different genera, namely: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus sp, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens, Salmonella sp and Citrobacter sp were identified while six fungi, namely: Aspergillus niger, Thysanophoralongspora sp, Penicilum notatum, Neurospora crassa, Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichoderma sp were also identified and isolated. Ciprofloxacin and augmentin exerted a pronounced inhibitory effect on all the bacterial isolates while nystatin and mycoten also inhibited all the fungal isolates with considerable zones of inhibition. All fungal isolates were resistant to griseofulvin with ketoconazole showing the lowest inhibitory zone (2.0 mm) on Aspergillus niger. Therefore, consumer s consciousness on the type and load of pathogens associated with vegetables and antibiotics of choice as a therapeutic measure against the infection caused by the implicated microorganisms needs to be re-awakened.
Keywords
Vegetables, zone of inhibition; pathogens; antibiotics and therapy.