Aim: To determine the presence of food poisoning bacteria on fruits in the open markets. Method: A total of 1000 assorted fruits consisting 100 each of guava, carrots, oranges, mangoes, African cherry, pear, water melon, cashew, apple and garden eggs were randomly collected from open markets in Lagos, Nigeria. A sterile cotton wool tipped applicator pre-soaked in normal saline was used to rinse the fruits and subsequently

cultured on deoxycholate agar, Selenite enrichment broth, mannitol salt agar, Robertson cooked meat medium, blood agar and Sorbitol Mcconkey agar. They were incubated aerobically and anaerobically. PCR, Gram, biochemical, enzymatic analyses as well as agglutination reactions with different sugars were used for the identifying the bacteria. Results: Overall, 14.6% of the fruits had food poisoning bacteria. The most common

food poisoning bacteria on fruits was found to be Staph. aureus (6%). This was followed by E. coli (3.8%). Salmonella (1.3%), Shigella (1.3), Clostridium spp (0.6) and Campylobacter jejenu (1.6%). The most infected fruit was water melon (2.5%), followed by mangoes (2.3%), African cherry (1.7%), oranges (1.4%), pear (1.4%),

guava (1.3%), garden eggs (1.3%), cashew (1.1%), carrots (0.9%) and apple (0.7%). Conclusion: Common fruits sold in the open markets may have been contaminated with food poisoning bacteria. They should be washed properly before consumption.

 

Key words: Food poisoning, Bacteria, Fruits