Occurrence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Coagulase Negative Staphylococci Isolated From Local Yoghurt Hawked in Gombe Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were formally believed to be non-pathogenic but recent studies have implicated them as agents of some diseases. This study was designed to investigate the occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of CoNS isolated from local yoghurt hawked in Gombe metropolis, Nigeria. A total of 177 local yoghurt samples from Gombe metropolis were investigated for the presence of CoNS using standard microbiological methods and confirmed using Microgen Staph ID kit. The antibiotics susceptibility profile of the confirmed isolates was determined using the disc diffusion method. Out of the 177 yoghurt samples, a total 24 (13.56%) were identified as CoNS which include: S. chromogenes 11(45.83%), S. haemolyticus 5(20.83), S. hominis 3(12.50%), S. warneri 3(12.50%), S. cohnis 1(4.17%) and S. ciuri 1(4.17%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that the isolates were highly resistant to ampicilin (75%) and cefoxitin (54.2%) but very sensitive to gentamicin (100%), vancomycin (95%) and chloramphenicol (100%). The study reveals the presence of CoNS in the study area that are highly resistant to conventional antibiotics. Thus, to ensure public health safety and to avoid transmission of drug resistant bacteria, there is the need to educate yoghurt producers, vendors and consumers on the importance of food safety by the relevant authorities.