MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PALMS OF FAST-FOOD HANDLERS IN ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The palms of 87 food vendors in Abeokuta metropolis were sampled for the presence and types of         microorganisms. The food handlers were grouped into six categories based on the type of vending         sites: hawkers (15), roadside (13), open air (15), closed / roofed (21), restaurants (12) and hotels ven-         dors (11). Only 43.7% of the 87 vendors sampled had undergone the annual medical check up while         56.3% had never done the check up. None of the hawkers sampled had ever done the medical check         up while all the hotel food handlers had the health certificate indicating that they have done the routine         medical   check   up.   Bacteria   isolated   from   the   hands   of   the   food   handlers   included  Staphylococcus         aureus, S. epidermidis, Alcaligenes spp. Bacillus subtilis, Listeria spp. Enterobacter sp, Escherichia         coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris and  Vibrio cholerae. The fungi were Rhizopus sp. Asper-         gillus   niger  and  Sachharomyces   cerevisiae.  This   work   suggests   that   food   handlers   were   possible         sources of microorganisms implicated in food poisoning and food spoilage. Proper policing of vendors        to ensure that they undergo the annual physical and medical examinations and proper education of        food handlers on personal hygiene is recommended.