MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PALMS OF FAST-FOOD HANDLERS IN ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA
Abstract
The palms of 87 food vendors in Abeokuta metropolis were sampled for the presence and types of microorganisms. The food handlers were grouped into six categories based on the type of vending sites: hawkers (15), roadside (13), open air (15), closed / roofed (21), restaurants (12) and hotels vendors (11). Only 43.7% of the 87 vendors sampled had undergone the annual medical check up while 56.3% had never done the check up. None of the hawkers sampled had ever done the medical check up while all the hotel food handlers had the health certificate indicating that they have done the routine medical check up. Bacteria isolated from the hands of the food handlers included Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Alcaligenes spp. Bacillus subtilis, Listeria spp. Enterobacter sp, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris and Vibrio cholerae. The fungi were Rhizopus sp. Aspergillus niger and Sachharomyces cerevisiae. This work suggests that food handlers were possible sources of microorganisms implicated in food poisoning and food spoilage. Proper policing of vendors to ensure that they undergo the annual physical and medical examinations and proper education of food handlers on personal hygiene is recommended.
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