Isolation and Identification of Pathogen Bacteria Associated with Farm Animals

Farm animals’ meat contributes significantly to the daily protein intake of many individuals but can also be a source of foodborne illnesses especially under the conditions in which animals are handled, slaughtered, transported and sold. The emergence and re-emergence of diseases due to pathogenic bacteria are the key issue of the new pattern of food trades. A total of twenty-one samples (VIS, FSA, STS, MSA, URS, UDS, and PES) were collected from farm animals from Rugga settlement of Birnin Kebbi. Some of the samples were collected using sterile swab stick while urine and stool samples were collected in sterile containers and were taken immediately to Microbiology Laboratory Waziri Umaru federal Polytechnic. The samples were bacteriologically analyzed and the isolates were identified using biochemical tests such as (indole, coagulase, catalase, urease, gluctose, lactose, maltose, motility, Voges Proskauer and methyl red). Fourteen bacterial species were isolated and identified as pathogens from the sheep samples. They are Gram positive bacteria such as Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus as well as Gram negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Shigella sp and Salmonella sp. The isolates were identified based on their reaction to biochemical tests. The findings revealed that sheep are potential vehicles for transmitting pathogenic bacteria and the presence of these microorganisms may lead to poisoning and can as well claim the live of the sheep from which they were isolated.