BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF SUYA MEAT IN AKUNGBA-AKOKO, ONDO STATE

Ready-to-eat Suya meats were randomly sampled in Akungba-Akoko and assessed for bacterial status and antibacterial susceptibility profiles. Bacteriology of Suya samples and antibacterial susceptibility test were determined using standard microbiological and disc diffusion methods respectively. The result of the total plate counts of bacteria from the suya meat samples ranged from 7.0 \times 10^4 - 1.0 \times 10^5 for nutrient agar, 8 \times 10^3 to 3.0 \times 10^5 for Eosin methylene blue agar and 6.0 \times 10^3 and 6.9 \times 10^4. AB restaurant recorded the highest bacterial account in all the agar used, AAUA gate sample was observed to had the least of bacterial account on nutrient agar while the least bacterial account on MacConkey agar was recorded in apex sample with 6 \times 10^3. A total of eleven (11) bacterial species were identified including four (4) Gram-positive and seven (7) Gram-negative bacteria. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli (25%) Staphylococcus aureus (15%), Salmonella spp. (10%) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (10%). Antibacterial susceptibility test results indicated that Ciprofloxacin (13-25 mm) and Pefloxacin (13-25 mm) demonstrated high level of sensitivity and broad spectrum activity on isolated pathogens respectively whereas Bacillus spp. and Streptococcus spp. showed high resistance to some of the antibiotics under study except Ciprofloxacin. The high incidence of bacterial contamination in Suya suggests that they are potential reservoir for possible outbreak of food-borne diseases. Furthermore, proper antibiotic therapy and patient management in cases of consumption of contaminated Suya is hereby seriously advocated.