ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PROFILE OF CULTURABLE BACTERIA ISOLATES ASSOCIATED WITH PALM SWAP OF MALE AND FEMALE STUDENTS OF BENSON IDAHOSA UNIVERSITY, BENIN CITY EDO STATE,NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotics susceptibility profile of bacterial isolates associated with the hands of both male and female students of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Nigeria. A total of fifty (100) palm swab samples were collected from 100male and female students with 50 from each category. Bacteria species were isolated and identified using standard Microbiological techniques. The antibiogram was performed and interpreted based on the agar disk diffusion method as described by Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute ( CLSI). The results showed that for the male Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (Staphylococcus species) were more frequently isolated (52%) compared to Staphylococcus aureus (20%), Bacillus species (24%) and Enterobacter species (4%) while for the female Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (Staphylococcus species) were more frequently isolated (40%) compared to Staphylococcus aureus (26%), Bacillus species (32%) and Enterobacter species (2%). The hands of male students were more contaminated with Staphylococcus spp. compared to that of their female counterpart which could be attributed to factors such as lack of proper hand hygienes, excessive sweating of males compared to their female counterparts, engagement in extracurricular activities such as football and exercises and excessive contact with contaminated environments. The results showed that for both the male and female students all gram positive and gram negative antibiotics inhibited all selected microorganisms. While for the male students the lowest zone of inhibition obtained was 5mm from Tetracyclin (M7 and M14) while the highest recorded zone of inhibition was 27mm from Augmentin (M4) and Vancomycin (M47). Whereas all the bacterial isolates from the male hands of Benson Idahosa University students were resistant to both Oxacillin and Imipenem and for the female students The lowest zone of inhibition obtained was 0.00mm from Gentamicin (F4), followed by 9mm Gentamicin (F43), tetracyclin (F42) and Netilmicin (F4) while the highest recorded zone of inhibition was 26mm from Gentamicin (F36 & F46), Vancomycin (F1 & F42), Augmentin (F27 & F33), Netilmicin (F1) and Ofloxacin (F47). The study demonstrated that human hands of both male and female students of Benson Idahosa University were contaminated with multidrug resistant bacteria species and that Hands greatly serve as a means of transmission of pathogens, thus effective hand hygiene can reduce infection and prevent diseases.