INCIDENCE AND ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY OF BACILLUS CEREUS ISOLATED FROM READY TO EAT FOODS SOLD IN SOME MARKETS IN PORTHARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Sixty-four food samples of cooked rice, masa, agidi and epiti purchased from local markets in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Port Harcourt, Nigeria were examined microbiologically. Plate count analysis on mannitol egg-yolk bromothymol blue polymyxin B (MYP) agar revealed that cooked rice had the highest frequency of occurrence of Bacillus cereus isolates (29.51%), masa (26.23%), agidi (22.95%) and epiti had the least frequency of 21.31%. All Bacillus cereus isolates tested were found to be susceptible to rifampin (30µg), chloramphenicol (20µg), erythromycin (30µg), ciprofloxacin (10µg), streptomycin (30µg), gentamycin (10µg) and lincocin (30µg) and 100% resistance against norfloxapin (30ug), floxapen (30µg) and ampiclox (30µg). The study unveils the presence of Bacillus cereus in food samples sold in Port Harcourt especially in 'cooked rice and masa which may pose serious threat to the health of consumers and should not be ignored.