Prevalence of Enteric Bacteria in Locust Beans (iru) and the Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern

Iru (in the Yoruba language), also known as daddawa (in the Hausa language), is an alkaline fermented food condiment produced from African locust beans (Parkia biglobosa). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of enteric bacteria in locust beans (Iru) and the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. The microbial load and incidence were determined using the spread plate method while the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. shows the bacterial load of Locust beans (Iru). The total aerobic bacterial load ranged from 6.6×106±0.8 to 4.0x106±0.1 CFU/g for samples obtained from Giri and 6.1×106±0.9 to 3.9×106±0.1 CFU/g for samples obtained from Gwako while the total coliform load ranged from 3.2×103±0.4 to 2.5×102±0.1 CFU/g for samples obtained from Giri and 2.9×103±0.3 to 2.4x102±0.1 CFU/g for samples obtained from Gwako. A total of seven (7) bacterial isolates belonging to two (2) genera and two (2) species namely Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella Typhi. Samples obtained from Giri had the highest occurrence of bacterial isolates (4) while samples obtained from Gwako had the lowest occurrence of bacterial isolates (3). Salmonella Typhi had the highest frequency of occurrence with 57.1% while Klebsiella pneumoniae had the least frequency of occurrence with 42.9%. Klebsiella pneumoniae was susceptible to Ofloxacin, Pefloxacin, Chloramphenicol, Streptomycin, Septrin, Augmentin, and Amoxicillin while Salmonella Typhi was susceptible to Ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, Streptomycin, Septrin, and Augmentin. To reduce the incidence of enteric pathogens in locust beans (Iru) and their attendant public health risks, hygienic conditions must be ensured in the packaging and distribution process post-production.