DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2016.v04i11.040

Pages: 4058-4063

This study determined the bacteriological quality of vended fresh shrimps harvested from Ndibe Beach, Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria using standard microbiological and biochemical techniques. The total aerobic plate counts based on the body parts showed high microbial burden in the ranges of 2.0 x 107 to 2.84 x 107 cfu/g (head), 1.52 x 107 to 1.92 x 107 cfu/g (body) and 9.62 x 106 to 1.96 x 107 cfu/g (tail). The heads were the most contaminated with a mean bacterial load of 2.43±0.452 (x 107) cfu/g, while the tails were the least contaminated with 1.45 ±0.409 (x 107) cfu/g. The study also revealed the presence of four bacterial isolates including: Klebsiella species, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella species. Based on the body parts, Klebsiella spp. occurred highest in the head at the rate of 37%, followed by Escherichia coli (32%), Staphylococcus aureus (21%) and then Salmonella spp. (10%), while Staphylococcus aureus occurred highest (38%) in the body, followed by Escherichia coli (30%), Klebsiella spp. (27%) and then Salmonella spp. (5%). Also, Staphylococcus aureus occurred highest (38%) at the tail, followed by Klebsiella spp. (31%), Escherichia coli (31%) but Salmonella spp. was absent in the tail (0%). Overall, the results revealed that Klebsiella spp. had the highest percentage occurrence of 37(33%) while Salmonella had the least percentage occurrence of 8(7%). The study also showed that 62 (55%) of the isolated bacteria were from the head, 37 (33%) from the body and then 13 (12%) from the tail. The study has shown that fresh shrimps harvested from Ndibe Beach were highly contaminated with potential pathogenic bacteria and therefore unsafe for human consumption unless properly cooked. It is therefore recommended that both vendors and buyers should be well enlightened on the place of personal hygiene in the transmission of food borne diseases.