Bacteriological Survey of Abattoir Wastewater in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

The bacteriological survey of abattoir wastewater in Aba was investigated. Samples of wastewater contaminated with abattoir waste were collected at ten different spots in the abattoir. Nutrient agar was utilised as the media for the total aerobic plate count, McConkey agar was used for the coliform count, and cellulolytic media was used for the cellulolytic count. It was done using the pour plate method. The bacteria were identified using colonial morphology, gram staining, and biochemical assays. All of the aerobic plates, coliform count and cellulolytic count for the abattoir wastewater ranged from 1.03 x107 to 7.1 x 106 CFU/mL, 5.8 x 106 to 1.2 x 106 CFU/mL and 3.7 x106 to1.3x 106 CFU/mL, respectively. Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella spp., and Escherichia coli were among the bacteria that were isolated. This survey further confirmed the presence of varying bacteria genera in abattoir wastewater and the expedient nature of treating wastewater rather than releasing it to the physical environment as it poses a threat to public health.