Common enteric bacteria on the floor and crevices of a Central Municipal Abattoir in Abeokuta, South-western Nigeria

Abstract

The major aim of abattoir hygiene is to provide safe and wholesome meat fit for human consumption. This study was carried out to isolate and identify common enteric bacteria found on the floor and crevices of Lafenwa municipal abattoir before the commencement of slaughtering activities. A total of 60 sterile swab samples :30 each from the floor and crevices were collected over a period of six weeks and swabs samples yielded 288 isolates after standard bacteriological isolation and biochemical identification methods. The isolates c omp r i s e d 1 0 g e n e r a wh i c h i n c l u d e d Pro t e u s ( 1 7%) ,  Es c h e r i c h i a (16.7%),Enterobacter(16%),Klebsiella (16%), Yersinia (11.1%) Serratia (9%), Citrobacter (6.6%), Edwardsiella (4.5%), Burdvicia (2.7%) and Kluyvera (0.3%). The result of this study reinforces the need for improvement on the level of hygiene in the abattoir especially during meat processing in order to enhance food safety.

Keywords: Abattoir, Wholesome meat, enteric bacteria, Public health.