OCCUPATIONAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE OF POULTRY MANURE IN VEGETABLES CULTIVATION IN OJO, LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Bacteriological investigation of vegetables cultivated using poultry manure in Ojo town of Lagos State, Ngeria, was carried out and its attendant health risks assessed. Five vegetables commonly consumed raw were harvested, the bacterial load assessed, followed by washing separately with vinegar (4% acetic acid0, normal saline distilled water. The pathogenic bacteria isolated from the vegetables included: Escherichia coil,  Staphylococcus aureus, BacilluIs cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella sp, Klebsiella sp, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Clostridium perfringers. No bacterial growth was observed in vegetables washed with vinger. Less bacterial growth were observed when vegetables were washed with normal saline than with distilled water, the difference in the values of bacterial load was statistically significant (P<0.05). Fever, chill, headache, muscles ache, skin rash, sneezing, coughing, abdominal pain and diarrhoea  were ill-health symptoms observed among the vegetable farmers.  The incidence of ill-health were found to be positively correlated to age and years of exposure of vegetable farmers to poultry manure.