ISOLATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF MICROORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH SALIVA OF MALE STUDENTS IN BENSON IDAHOSAUNIVERSITY LEGACY CAMPUS, BENIN CITY, NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT

The aims of this studyis to investigate the diversity of microorganisms present in the saliva of female students in Benson Idahosa x Lagacy Campus universityBenin City, Nigeria. A total of 50samples were collected from male students aseptically using sterile swabs and analyzed using standard Microbiological techniques for the presence of microorganisms.The project revealed that the heterotrophic bacterial counts of the saliva samples (50 samples) were found to be within1.1x 10⁵ to 11.2 x 10⁵ CFU/g. The results acquired clearly demonstrated that 278 oral bacterial strains were successfully isolated and were identified 242 (84.1%) was gram positive and 36 (15.9%) was gram negative.  The predominate bacteria identified and their frequency were Samonellatyphi (7.9%), followed by Enterococcus feacalis (5.9%), Streptococcus pyogenes (5.2%) This information can then be used to develop strategies for preventing and treating oral diseases.