Assessment of Microbial Contamination of Solid Herbal Medicine sold in Makurdi Metropolis

Abstract

The consumption of herbal medicines is a common practice in many parts of the world, including Nigeria. However, the safety and quality of these products have been a concern due to the potential contamination with pathogenic microorganisms. This study aimed to isolate and identify microorganisms from powdered herbal medicines sold in Makurdi and Adikpo towns in Nigeria. A total of 30 samples were collected from various herbal medicine vendors and subjected to microbiological analysis. The samples were processed using standard microbiological techniques, including culture, microscopy, mycological identification and biochemical identification. The results showed that samples from both towns were contaminated with microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi. Bacteria species isolated include Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. the most occurring bacterium was Escherichia coli with the occurrence of 19 representing 25 %, while the most common fungal species include Aspergillus niger which had the occurrence of 143(29.61 %) respectively. This was followed by Trichosporon mucoides 116(24.02 %), Aspergillus ochraceus 92(19.05 %), Aspergillus flavus 70(14.49 %) and Rhizopus stolonifer 16(12.84 %) which had the least occurrence. The study also revealed that the contamination levels were higher in samples from Adikpo town compared to Makurdi town. These findings suggest that there is a need for improved quality control measures in the production and sale of herbal medicines to minimize the risk of microbial contamination and ensure consumer safety.