BACTERIAL AIR QUALITY OF MARKETS IN CHOBA, PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Markets, with large number of vendors, customers and food handling activities can facilitate the transmission of bacteria. This study investigated the bacterial air quality of four different markets located in Choba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, to determine bacterial contaminants, enumerate bacterial loads and evaluate associated health risks. Samples were collected from the selected markets over four days (three weekdays and one weekend) in which petri-dishes containing sterile nutrient agar were exposed to air for 15 minutes, morning and evening at each of the market. Bacterial isolates were enumerated and reported as colony forming unit per meter cube (cfu/m³) using Omeliansky formula. Results showed varying bacterial loads across locations and time. The bacterial air quality in the mornings ranged from 34167 cfu/m³ to 48750 cfu/m³; 34000 cfu/m³ to 46500 cfu/m³; 2083 cfu/m³ to 12083 cfu/m³; 1833 cfu/m³ to 11250 cfu/m³ at Aluu, Choba, Everyday and Marketsquare respectively. The evening results ranged from 10417 cfu/m³ to 49333 cfu/m³; 7500 cfu/m³ to 49750 cfu/m³; 1167 cfu/m³ to 25000 cfu/m³; 7500 cfu/m³ to 19333 cfu/m³ at Aluu, Choba, Everyday and Marketsquare respectively. Local markets exhibited higher contamination levels than supermarkets and bacterial contamination was higher on weekend than weekdays. Bacterial loads were also found to be higher in the evenings than mornings. Species of bacteria isolated included Klebsiella sp (15.63%), Neisseria sp (8.13%), Serratia sp (3.75%), Enterococcus sp (3.13%), Staphylococcus sp (4.38%), Bacillus sp (7.50%), Citrobacter sp (10.0%), Enterobacter sp (7.50%), Salmonella sp (9.38%), Yokenella sp (5.63%), Micrococcus sp (3.13%), Proteus sp (15.63%), Shigella sp (5.63%) and Chromobacter sp (0.63%) with Proteus sp and Klebsiella sp being the predominant species. Klebsiella, Neisseria, Enterobacter, Salmonella, Yokenella, Proteus, Citrobacter and Shigella species were found in all the four markets. Serratia, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species were found in three markets each but absent in Everyday, Marketsquare, Aluu, Choba and Marketsquare respectively while Chromobacter species was found in only Choba market. The presence of these bacterial pathogens in market air pose significant risks such as respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, cancer etc. The findings emphasize the need for improved hygiene practices, adequate waste management and education on proper food handling and storage to safeguard public health.