Bacterial Contaminants Associated with the Hands of Food Handlers at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

Abstract

Food and waterborne diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This study identified bacterial agents contaminating the hands of food handlers at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. A total of 205 food handlers were recruited, their hands were swabbed, and samples were processed to isolate and identify bacteria using standard microbiological techniques. Of the 205 participants, 55 were positive for bacterial contamination (26.8%). Fifty-nine different bacterial strains were isolated; Staphylococcus aureus was the most common with a frequency of 29 (49%). Other foodborne pathogens isolated included Escherichia coli 4 (6.8%) and Salmonella subspecies IIIb 1 (1.7%). This study demonstrates that a significant proportion of food handlers’ hands were contaminated with bacterial agents. Therefore, optimizing hand hygiene programs among food handlers will help minimize food contamination.