Abstract

Herbal products are considered as phytomedicines which are used as complementary medicine and without adequate monitoring they are leased straightaway into the market. Preparation, transportation and handling of these products can lead to high microbial contamination which can be harmful to human health. The aim of this research was to molecularly characterize some multiple resistance bacteria obtained from JIKO which is a herbal preparation consumed in some parts of Kaduna metropolis. The genomic DNA was extracted from each bacteria isolates, 16s rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced. The sequenced obtained from the amplified genes were analyzed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) of the National Center for Biotechnology Institute database to compare the genes with the exist genes with ones in GENbank. The results obtained confirmed the identities of four bacteria isolates: Three Bacillus cereus and a Serratia species.  It was concluded that herbal products can contain some bacterial contaminants if not properly handled.

Key words: Herbal, phytomedicines, contaminants, genomic.