TITLE:
Occurrence of Vibrio cholerae in Some Households Engaged in Livestock Farming in Some Parts of Zaria, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Grace Onyukwo Abakpa, Veronica Jallath Umoh, Joseph Baba Ameh
KEYWORDS:
Vibrio cholerae; Livestock and Animal Manure
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.3 No.1,
March
29,
2013
ABSTRACT: The study was designed to determine the presence of Vibrio cholerae from the environment in close proximity with livestock in Zaria,Kadunastate. Three hundred and thirty six environmental samples comprising soil, water, manure and vegetables were collected from some selected households inZariacoveringZariacity, Sabo and Samaru from April to October 2006 and analyzed for the presence of Vibrio cholerae, one of the etiologic agent of gastroenteritis. Twelve Vibrios exhibiting characteristics of Vibrio cholerae were identified using biochemical techniques. Serological identification confirmed 5 (41.7%) of these isolates as Vibrio, 1 (20%) as Vibrio serogroup O1, Ogawa biotype. A 0.59% prevalence was obtained for this pathogen in the study. The 0.59% isolation rate though low is significant considering it’s source being animal, since livestock keeping is a common feature in the study location, with animals living in close proximity to man this work is imperative. Animals are a point source of contamination of enteric pathogens, therefore extensive management system and proper treatment of animal manure is recommended before its use as fertilizer.