Bacterialogical and Parasitological Assessment of Fresh Meat Marketed In Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria (Published)
The bacteriological and parasitological assessment of some fresh meat marketed in Owerri, Nigeria was carried out using standard bacteriological and parasitological methods. The meat samples used for the study were flesh, towel, intestine and liver from goat, pork and chicken. There was no fungal and Salmonella – Shigella count in all the samples. The presence of Staphylococcus count was obtained in fresh goat meat and the viable bacterial counts ranged from 5.0× 105cfi/ml to 8.0× 106 cfu/ml while the total coliform counts ranged from 1.0× 105(cfu/ml to 4.0×106cfu/ml. The bacterial isolates obtained were: Staphylococcus aereus, Micrococcus species, Salmonella species, Shigella species, Corynebacterium species, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Bacillus species and Escherichia coli with Micrococcus species showing the highest occurrence. Among the parasites identified, Taenia spp had the highest occurrence. There is need for proper hygienic practices to be observed by the butchers in addition to beefing up the activities of Consumers Protection Council(CPC) to ensure the safety of meat available for public consumption
Keywords: Assessment, Bacteria, Fresh meat, Oocysts, Owerri, Parasites