Examination of Bacteria Contamination In Selected Fruits and Vegetables Sold in Uselu Market, Benin City, Edo State

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables are essential for human health due to their nutritional qualities, but the consumption of raw foods leads to food safety problems as they are recognized as sources of transmission of infectious diseases. The aim of this work was to assess the bacteria contamination of some selected fruits and vegetables sold in Uselu market, Benin City, Edo State. A total of 175 fruits and vegetables were purchased from local vendors in Uselu market using different sterile polythene bags, properly labelled, and transported to microbiological laboratory. The samples were processed by culture methods and the isolates obtained were subjected to Gram staining and biochemical tests for identification. The sensitivity of the isolates was also tested using conventional antibiotics. A total of 141 (80.57%) were positive for bacterial contamination. Seven bacteria were isolated: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella spp, Streptococcus spp, Bacillus spp, Escherichia coli, Proteus miralbilis and Morganella spp. The most prevalent bacterial isolate observed was Staphylococcus aureus (43.26%). Tomatoes had a higher frequency (14.9%) of bacterial contamination, with a significant difference (P = 0.0016). Single and mixed bacterial contamination have no significant association (P = 0.9806) with the infection. There was a statistically significant association between the risk factors and the infection (P<0.05). All the gram-positive bacteria were sensitive to tetracycline while majority of the gram-negative bacteria were sensitive to all the antibiotics used. The results further support public education on good personal hygiene and the dangers of consuming contaminated fruits and vegetables.