ABSTRACT

 This study was to determine the incidence of Salmonella species isolated from eggs and hands of egg handlers in poultry farm around Umuahia. A total of forty (40) fresh chicken eggs were collected from MOUAU poultry farm and three other poultry farm around Umuahia, while a total of five (5) swabbed samples were collected from egg handlers from the same location. These samples were processed, inoculated and cultured on Salmonella Shigella agar using spread plate techniques. The result from this study revealed that out ofthe twenty (20) egg samples obtained from MOUAU and Ahieke poultry farms thus; samples L3SI, L3S5, LiS3, L|S4 and L]S20 showed colourless colonies when cultured on Salmonella Shigella agar for 24 hours while samples L3S2, L3S4, L3S6, L3S8, L|S2, LiS5, L1S6, LiS7 and LjS9 showed pink-coloured colonies on Salmonella Shigella agar. No growth was recorded for L3S3, L3S7, L3S9, L3SIO, LjS 1 and L1S8, while out ofthe five samples obtained from the hands of egg handlers in all the locations, egg handlers from Ahieke and Fimbarrs showed a remarkable growth on the medium. The percentage occurrence of Salmonella in this present study revealed that out of the forty-five (45) eggs and hands of egg handles, a total of thirty-five (35) samples showed positive growth indicating the presence of Salmonella species. Among the egg samples obtained from the various locations, eggs obtained from Research poultry farm had the highest percentage occurrence of Salmonella species at 9(45%), followed by MOUAU poultry farm and Fimbarss at 8(40%) each while the least was recorded for Ahieke poultry market at 6(30%). Therefore, this study showed that Salmonella contamination of eggs within Umuahia metropolis is high, with research poultry farm having the highest occurrence of Salmonella species at 9(45%), while an overall prevalence of Salmonella contamination of eggs and hands of egg handlers was recorded at 35(70%). However, people consume raw and cracked eggs in the area under study, indicating a lack of awareness of zoonosis. Therefore, the public should be made aware of risks associated with consumption of raw chicken eggs and raw eggs cracked during storage and transportation.