Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp in 'Nono' Sold in Lafia Metropolis

Nono is a fermented food-drink from cow. It is readily affordable, tasty, and laden with nutritional and health beneficial values. The study aimed to isolate and quantify the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp in nono sold within Lafia metropolis to ascertain their safety for consumption. Four hundred samples were collected randomly from twenty different hawkers at ten locations within the metropolis. Isolation was done using the pour plate technique, while the presence of minerals was also determined. Samples collected in Tudun Gwandara had the highest population of bacteria with 7.8 × 106 cfu/ml. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were isolated from the samples but Salmonella sp was not isolated. Staphylococcus aureus had the total occurrence rate of 66.7%, while Escherichia coli obtained 33.3% presence in the samples. Sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium and copper were minerals found in different proportions in parts per million within the samples. Findings showed that nono consumption in Lafia may not be very safe because bacteria isolated were pathogenic and are potential sources of food borne infections.

Keywords: food-drink, nono, minerals, pathogenic, infection