Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of gram-negative bacteria isolated from apron and tables of meat vendors in Elele Market, Rivers State

Because of poor sanitary practices and a lack of knowledge about proper hygiene, meat vendors' aprons and tables could be potential sources of cross-infection of many public health bacteria. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of gram-negative bacteria isolates obtained from meat vendors' aprons and tables. 100 fresh swabs from meat vendors' aprons and tables were streaked on Eosin methylene blue, Cetrimide, and MacConkey agar and identified by the biochemical test. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern was evaluated on Mueller Hinton agar using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Out of the 100 samples processed, 66 Gram-negative bacteria were isolated. Klebsiella pneumoniae (74.24%) was the dominant gram-negative isolates, followed by E. coli (18.18%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.55%), and Proteus sp (3.03%) respectively. The isolates from the tables recorded 100% resistance to Erythromycin and Cloxacillin with the highest sensitivity to Ofloxacin (66.7%) followed by Gentamicin (50%) while the isolates from aprons were 100% resistant to Augmentin and Cloxacillin followed by cefuroxime (93.3%) and Erythromycin (90%) with the highest sensitivity to Ofloxacin (100%) followed by Gentamicin (33.3%). This study confirmed the presence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria on the apron, and the levels of contamination detected on the aprons and tables used by meat vendors in Elele market presented an inadequate microbiological standard and quality. It is critical to implement proper orientation and workshops to educate meat vendors on standard practices to be followed when handling meat