Pathogenic bacteria colonization of the skin of some students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt

Abstract

The study was carried out to isolate, enumerate and identify bacterial colonization of the human skin. The analysis was done among randomly selected students of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education. Sterile swab sticks were used to scrub the faces, legs and palms of each of the five students selected. The swab sticks were quickly dropped inside labeled sample bottles and immediately taken to the laboratory for microbial analysis. Nutrient agar and MacConkey agar medium was prepared and swab sticks were dissolved separately in 150 ml distilled water in a beaker and taken as stock. From the stock, tenfold serial dilution was carried out and 0.1 ml aliquot inoculated by the spread plate technique. The inoculated culture media plates were incubated at room temperature for 24-hours. The different bacteria colonies were counted and sub-cultured unto freshly prepared media plates. Identification of the bacteria isolates was done through gram staining and different biochemical tests. The results showed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Micrococcus species in the frequencies of 54%, 20% and 20% respectively. This clearly indicated that Staphylococcus aureus with a prevalence rate of 54% occurred more in the skins of the students studied. Proper personal hygiene and clean living environment is imperative to prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases among students of Universities.