Isolation and Identification of Bacteria Present on Telfairia occidentalis Sold at Some Selected Markets in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Nigeria

Abstract

Telfairia occidentalis, commonly known as fluted pumpkin or ‘Ugu’ is a widely consumed leafy vegetable in Nigeria due to its high nutritional value. However, the processes involved in its planting, harvesting, and marketing particularly in open markets are often unhygienic, exposing the vegetable to potential bacterial contamination. Thirty (30) samples were aseptically collected randomly in sterile Ziploc polythene bags in batches of ten (10) from three (3) different markets namely Nyanya (Ny), Kurudu (Ku) and Karshi (Ka) in Abuja Municipal Area Council, F.C.T, Nigeria. Staphylococcus, Erwinia, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter and Klebsiella species were isolated and identified using Morphological, Cultural and Biochemical assessment. Ten (10) isolates each constituting of Staphylococcus species were identified from three (3) markets.  The number of Klebsiella specie isolated were 6, 5 and 5 in Ny, Ku, and Ka respectively. One (1) isolate each, of Pseudomonas and Enterobacter species were identified from Ny, Ku, and Ka. Total Mean Viable Count (TVC) and Total Mean Coliform Count (TCC) were 1.33 X 10⁶ CFU/ml and 1.12 X 10⁶ CFU/ml for Ny and Ka respectively. The lowest mean count TVC and TCC were recorded in Ka. The observed differences in mean bacterial counts were not statistically significant at the 5% level (F = 2.83, p = 0.0805). Ny had the highest microbial load compared to Ku and Ka. This could be as a result of improper handling during harvesting and poor sanitary measures by food vendors. Hence, there should be proper public enlightenment on the handling and consumption of vegetables.