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Saudi Journal of Pathology and Microbiology (SJPM)
Volume-5 | Issue-02 | 137-143
Original Research Article
Bacteriological Probing of Outdoor Air Quality Using Sterile Food Samples as Air Sampling Substrates
Sampson T, Amaechi G, Amadi LO
Published : Feb. 29, 2020
DOI : 10.36348/sjpm.2020.v05i02.017
Abstract
The presence of airborne microbes and their relationship to disease has become an important area of study, as many bioaerosols in indoor and outdoor environments have been found to cause adverse health effects. This study was carried out to assess the application of sterile food samples as a novel technique in the bacteriological probing of air quality. In this study, different food items (pawpaw, meat and yam) were sterilized by autoclaving, and exposed to an outdoor air condition, in order to isolate bacteria capable of causing contamination of sterile materials, including processed food samples exposed to the air environment. Five (5) grams each, of the various food samples were exposed at varying elevation to a maximum height of 40 feet above ground level and studied at daily intervals for five consecutive days. The bacterial population dynamics as well as diversity was determined and was observed to vary with respect to the food type used as sampling substrate and exposure duration. In the overall analysis, meat had more bacterial load than pawpaw, while yam was the least. The results obtained from the investigation showed that E. coli (25.9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (16.9%), Pseudomonas auroginosa (15.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (12.9), Shigella spp. (11.7%), Bacillus spp (9.1%), and Salmonella spp (7.9%) were the most frequent bacterial isolates in the air environment studied. The study reveals a novel method of air quality determination using sterile food samples. The study further recommends proper waste management at the tropospheric level to prevent upward movement of particles.
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