Antibiotic resistance of Bacillus species isolated from hawked ‘suya’ meat sold in Kaduna metropolis, North-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Food poisoning and antibiotic resistance among bacterial community has become a serious global challenge in the treatment of infections cause by pathogens. This research work was carried out to determine the occurrence and antibiotic resistance of Bacillus species in 200 hawked ‘suya’ meat sold in Kaduna metropolis. Methods: Bacillus species were isolated using a selective medium and biochemical tests. The isolates were further identified using Microgen Bacillus ID identification kit and the antibiotic resistance pattern was determined using single disc diffusion technique on Mueller-Hinton agar. Results: The total percentage occurrence of Bacillus species in the metropolis was 34.0% (68/200) with Bacillus cereus having the highest occurrence of 39.7% (27/68) and Bacillus lentus having the lowest occurrence of 1.5% (1/68). The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of the Bacillus species indicates that 72.50% (29/40), 50.0% (29/58), 47.3% (29/58) of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium respectively had MAR index above 0.20 significant level of MAR of resistant pathogens. Conclusion: The presence of Bacillus species in the suya gives a warning signal for possible occurrence of foodborne infections and capable of producing outbreak of food poisoning. The multiple antibiotic resistance of Bacillus species calls for concern.