Microbiological Assessment and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Bacterial Isolates from Exposed Toothpicks in Selected Eateries

Abstract

Toothpick is mainly used to remove food particles, fishbone and meat stuck between the teeth after a meal. Poor handling and exposure of toothpicks on dinner tables in many eateries could pose a public health risk. In this study, a total of one hundred (100) wooden toothpicks were randomly sampled from twenty (20) eateries in five (5) locations in Benin City. A packet of toothpick purchased from a shop served as control. Microbiological analysis and antibiotic sensitivity tests involved the use of standard methods and disc agar diffusion method, respectively. The percentage occurrence of bacterial isolates from the samples include Bacillus sp. (25 %), Staphylococcus sp. (20 %), Streptococcus sp. (20 %), Proteus sp. (15 %), Salmonella sp. (10 %), Escherichia coli (5 %) and Klebsiella sp. (5 %) while the fungal isolates include Saccharomyces cerevisiae (80 %), Penicillium sp. (10 %) and Mucor sp. (10 %). The bacterial isolates were resistant to many antibiotics used in the study with the exception of gentamicin and ofloxacin. In order to prevent microbial contamination of toothpicks in the eateries which could lead to disease transmission, toothpicks should be rinsed with potable water before using it. Toothpicks should not be exposed on dinner tables. Instead, automatic toothpick dispenser should be provided in eateries.