Occurrence of Pathogenic Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Vegetables, Fruit and Milk in Selected Areas of Sabon Gari LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria: A Short Communication

Yusuf Wada, Suwaiba Ladan Muhammad, Nasir Ademola Adeyemi, Oyebola Yusrah Bolakojo, Mubarak Jimoh Ibrahim, Hannatu Jimba J., Mariam Adeola Saliu, Abdulkareem Auwal Aliyu, Halimat Oyiza Tijani, Mustapha Wada, Franca Maiture Galion, Olive Blessing Daniel, Rosemary Funto Boboye

Abstract


Fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk are common sources of microbial food-borne diseases. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7 in these food items sold in Samaru Ultra-Modern Market and fresh milk from National Animal Production Research Institute, Zaria, Nigeria. A total of 50 samples each of fruits, vegetables, and milk were collected for analysis. For vegetable, fruit and milk, E. coli was isolated using Eosin-Methylene Blue agar (EMB), with a 66% (33.50), 68.0% (34/50), 34% (17/50) prevalence respectively. The biochemical characterization confirmed a total of 33, 28 and 14 E. coli isolates for vegetables, fruit and milk respectively. The Cefixime-Tellurite Sorbitol MacConkey’s agar (CT-SMAC) identified 15 samples of vegetables, 18 samples for fruits and 12 samples for milk. Of all, ten different vegetables were studied, cabbage 100% (5/5) and lettuce 100% (5/5) showed the highest prevalence of pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7 detected using serology.  Fruits- 36% (18/50) and milk- 24% (12/50) collected from the specified area in Sabon gari LGA, were also contaminated with enterohaemorrahgic E. coli O157:H7. There was no significant association (p = 0.4244) between pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 and the food items (vegetable, fruits and milk). These findings highlight the risk of microbial contamination in these food items, necessitating proper hygiene practices and, in the case of milk, pasteurization to mitigate health risks for consumers.


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