Bacteriological and Mycological Assessments of Second-Hand Wears Procured From Girei And Jimeta Markets, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Used clothes can potentially be an element in the chain of infection transmission during normal daily activities. Second-hand wear is among such used clothes purchased by many people and used directly without considering any attending health implications. This study, therefore, examined the level of microbial contamination of second-hand clothes and the association between the different categories of the clothes and microbial contaminants. Second-hand clothes such as shirts, trousers, vests, socks, and shoes were bought from three Markets in Girei, Yola North, and Yola South. Isolation of organisms was carried out via Standard Plate Count. Isolates were identified using morphology and appropriate biochemical methods. A chi-square test (P ≤ 0.05 significant) was done to analyze some of the data obtained. Antibiotic susceptibility of the bacterial isolates was also determined using the Kirby-Bauer method. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus. Other bacteria isolated were Pseudomonas spp and E. coli. A total of four fungal species were isolated. These are Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, and Trichophyton rubrum. Trousers had the highest bacterial count (1.10 x103 CFU/mL) and fungal count (8.00 x104 CFU/mL). The data obtained shows no significant association between fungal species and the categories of clothes with (P = 0.15), but there is a significant association between bacterial species isolated and the categories of clothes analyzed (P = 0.02). S. aureus was susceptible to ciprofloxacin (100%) and erythromycin (92.8%), while Pseudomonas sp and E. coli were most susceptible to ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin (100%). The least susceptibility was observed with amoxicillin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. It became obvious that these clothes are possible carriers of antibiotic-resistant pathogens for skin and other infections. Washing and disinfecting second-hand wear before use may be important in minimizing the potential health implications associated with the isolated pathogens.