Asian Research Journal of Agriculture

Microbial contamination of food is the main obstacle of ensuring food safety. For this, it’s paramount to ascertain the safety of fish caught in the major waters in Ado Ekiti( Water works and Ogbese river). 22 (11 each)fish sample was randomly caught from both rivers in Ado Ekiti Metropolis.The research was conducted in May,2021. After standard microbiological and biochemical Test. The total bacteria count (TBC) for all the fish samples ranged between 0.46 x 10⁴ and 0.95 x 10⁴ cfu/g . Out of the 22 fish samples analyses for TBC, a sample from Water works dam had the highest number of bacteria with 0.95 x 10⁴ cfu/g. The Ogbese sample 4 had the lowest isolation with 0.46 x 10⁴ cfu/g. The study demonstrated the occurrence of bacterial isolates such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes,Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtili, Micrococcus luteus and Proteus vulgaris bacteria. This analysis indicated the incidence of fish contamination. These isolates are potential pathogens and their presence can pose health risks to humans especially immunocompromised individuals and children in particular when the levels of Staphylococcus aureus in the fish is considerably high, and the fish is not properly processed or cooked. Public education on the need for proper environmental sanitation to reduce bacteria load should be emphasized by the State government and sanction to be imposed on defaulters. Good hygienic practice aimed at minimizing the microbial load of fish must be ensured.