Abstract
This study examined the presence or contamination of bacteria in dishwashing sponges as well as the impact of various disinfectants on sponges. The total number of pathogenic organisms present in 120 sponges was determined using the nutritional agar (NA), MacConkey agar (MAC), Mannitol-Salt agar (MSA), Eosin-Methylene Blue agar (EMB), and Salmonella-Shigella agar (SSA) techniques. The efficacy of various disinfectants was evaluated using bleach, sanitizer, liquid soap, and boiled water for 30 minutes, while the remaining one served as a control sample. The result showed that household sponges had the lowest bacteria load across the five media with a mean bacteria count of 6.98 log CFU/g, followed by restaurant sponges with a mean count of 7.31 log CFU/g, and the highest bacteria load of 7.43 log CFU/g was obtained from hostel sponges. E. coli (40%), Klebsiella sp. (20%), Shigella sp. (15%), Staphylococcus sp. (20%), and Salmonella sp. (5) were the bacteria isolated and identified, whereas Aspergillus niger (65.6%) Penicillium oxalicum (9.4%), and Candida albicans (25%) were the fungi responsible for the contamination. Tarivid 25%, Reflacine 50%, Ciproflox 0%, Augmentin 50%, Gentamycin 0%, Streptomycin 0%, Ceporex 50%, Nalidixic acid 75%, Septrin 25%, and Amplicin 75% are the antibiotic resistant strains that have been identified. Griseofluvin eliminates both fungi at all concentrations that have been tested. Dishwashing sponges can be extremely contaminated, especially those used in the hostels on the University of Port Harcourt's Abuja campus. However, by applying basic and routine disinfection processes, the microbial contamination can be greatly reduced.
Published Version
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