Resistance profiling of bacterial isolate from cut and sliced ready- to-eat polyethylene packed watermelon (citrullus lanatus) sold in akoko communities.

OludareTemitope Osuntokun*, Ak

Abstract

The study surveyed of cut ready- to-eat polyethylene packed Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) sold in Akoko communities for antibiotic resistant Organisms. Samples were purchased from different selling points within Akoko communities. The collected samples were analysed in Microbiology Department, faculty of Science, Adekunle Ajasin University, and Akungba Akoko in triplicates. A total of 100 cut pieces of ready- to- eat polyethylene packed watermelon were randomly collected from 10 selling points at 10 per selling point using nutrient agar, MacConkey sorbitol agar, Eosin methylene blue agar and Manitol salt agar. The isolates were identified based on their physiology, cultural morphology and biochemical characteristics using API 20E sugars kit. Disk diffusion method was used for the screening for antibiotic resistance of the isolates. Ten isolates was observed from the samples examined. Six (6) Gram positive bacteria were counted ranging from 3.1 to 7.5 × 104 cfu/g and four (4) Gram negative bacteria were counted ranging from 0.3 to 3.2 × 104 cfu/g. The isolates were resistant to all the antibiotic used with the exception of Ciprofloxacin and Gentamycin for gram positive organisms and Ofloxacin and Gentamycin for gram negative organisms. Therefore the direct consumption of ready-to-eat cut watermelon from vendors can be a potential risk for food borne infection and food poison because of their contamination indication ratio and the variable resistance patterns in response to different antibiotic used in this research.