Occurrence and Enumeration of Multiple Bacterial Pathogens in Edible Snails from South East Nigeria

Arthur C. Okafor,Frank C. Ogbo

doi:10.13189/fst.2019.070301

Abstract

Edible snails are usually obtained from the forest and in high demand among consumers. Data on the level of contamination of edible snails with bacterial pathogens are needed for making legislations that will improve food safety and protect public health. This study aimed to determine the occurrence and distribution of counts of selected bacterial pathogens in Achatina achatina from major markets within South East Nigeria. A total of 300 samples of A. achatina were examined for occurrence and counts of Citrobacter, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Aeromonas and Bacillus cereus using enrichment broth, differential and selective media. Snail samples from Ogbete market had the highest mean aerobic plate count (9.32 ± 0.308 Log CFU/g), while Abakaliki market samples had highest mean count of coliforms (7.63 ± 0.389 Log CFU/g). Among pathogens, highest counts were observed for Citrobacter and E. coli which ranged from 6.0 to 8.0 Log CFU/g in 300 (100%) and 180 (60%) samples respectively. Significant differences were observed among the locations (p < 0.01). Our findings highlight the need for formulation and implementation of strategies for the reduction of bacterial pathogens in edible snails along the value chain.

Highlights

Foodborne diseases cause significant burden of disability and mortality in most countries
The highest mean Citrobacter counts was found in Abakaliki samples (7.24 ± 0.210 Log CFU/g) and there were no significant differences between Igboukwu and Ogbete samples (p < 0.01)
The highest mean count of Aeromonas was found in Ogbete samples (4.80 ± 0.473 Log CFU/g)

Summary

Introduction

Foodborne diseases cause significant burden of disability and mortality in most countries. Diarrhoeal diseases are the most common illnesses resulting from the consumption of contaminated foods, causing 550 million people to fall ill and 230,000 deaths annually (WHO, 2017). Nigeria’s diarrhoea prevalence is 18.8% according to the joint report from the federal ministries of Agriculture, Environment and Health (FMAEH, 2017). Food poisoning and diarrhoea caused by foods contaminated by Citrobacter have been reported (Doulgeraki et al, 2011). E. coli is one of the major foodborne pathogens of foods of animal origin with wide variability of virulence (Kobayashi et al, 2002; Johnson et al, 2005). The true burden of illnesses caused by B. cereus is unknown probably because they commonly occur as sporadic cases, rather than in major outbreaks (Logan et al, 2011)

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