ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF SOME SELECTED ENTEROBACTERIACEAE BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM KUNU ZAKI AND ZOBO SOLD IN KAURA NAMODA METROPOLIS

Kunu-zaki and Zobo drink are locally prepared indigenous non-alcoholic beverage that is widely produced and consumed in Nigeria. Standard microbiological methods were employed to isolate bacteria from Kunu-zaki and Zobo drink sold in Kaura Namoda town and Sabon gari Kaura. Samples of Kunu-zaki and Zobo drink were collected from twelve (12) different locations (6 each from Kaura Namoda town and Sabon gari Kaura) and their bacteriological loads were determined in terms of total bacterial counts using standard methods involving pour plate. The antibiotic resistance pattern of the bacterial isolates against some antibiotics was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The results show that Sabo Gari Kaura exhibits markedly higher bacterial loads across almost all samples for both beverages. For instance, Vendor 002's Zobo from Sabo Gari (5.08 × 10⁷ CFU/mL) is over three times more contaminated than the same beverage from Kaura Namoda town (1.68 × 10⁷ CFU/mL). The AST result presents a clear picture of widespread and complex antimicrobial resistance among common enteric bacteria. Each isolate qualified as multidrug-resistant (MDR), underscoring a serious public health challenge. The identified patterns, such as Salmonella's reduced fluoroquinolone susceptibility and Klebsiella's extensive resistance, are consistent with global AMR trends and significantly limit treatment options. Thus, the results of this study demonstrate that Kunuzaki and Zobo sold in Kaura Namoda town and Sabon gari Kaura, is contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria including antibiotic resistant bacteria isolates and these may lead to failures in antibiotic chemotherapy among consumers of Kunu-zaki in the Kaura Namoda metropolis and Sabon gari Kaura