Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Bacteria Isolated from Zobo Drinks sold in Keffi, Nigeria

Aims: This study is aimed to determine the susceptibility pattern of some bacteria isolated from Zobo drink sold in Keffi Metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Zobo drink is a locally produced indigenous non-alcoholic beverage that is prepared by boiling the flower calyx of Hibiscus sabdarifa. Methodology and results: Standard microbiological methods were employed to isolate bacteria from Zobo drink sold in Keffi metropolis, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Samples of Zobo drink were collected from ten (10) different locations and their total bacterial counts were determined using standard methods involving CFU count. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the bacterial isolates was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The bacterial counts of the Zobo in the ten different locations range from 3.0 x 108 to 8.6 x 108 CFU/mL. Four species of bacteria were isolated and identified by standard microbiological methods. The isolates with their percentage occurrence frequencies were Enterobacter aerogenes (70%), Escherichia coli (60%), Staphylococcus aureus (30%) and Streptococcus spp. (20%) respectively.The antibiotic susceptibility pattern revealed that Escherichia coli had high resistance to Chloramphenicol (75%), followed by Septrin (68.7%) and Sparfloxacin (68.7%), while Enterobacter aerogenes,Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus had low resistance to all the antibiotics tested. E. coli had very high sensitivity to Pefloxacin (100%), Gentamicin (88%), Amoxicillin (88%), Augmentin (75%), Tarivid (68.7%) and Streptomycin (68.7%). Streptococus spp. are the most susceptible isolates which had 100% sensitivity to Septrin, Chloramphenicol, Amoxicillin, Gentamicin and Pefloxacinrespctively; and this was followed by Staphylococcus aureus which had 100% sensitivity to Chloramphenicol, Amoxicillin, Augmentin and Tarivid respectively. Conclusion, significance and impact study: The antibiotic resistance pattern exhibited by E.coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the Zobo sold in Keffi are indicative of possible abuse of the use of antibiotics, and this has serious health implications. The results further demonstrated that Zobo sold in Keffi within the period of this study had contaminant bacteria including potentially pathogenic species and this can lead to failures in antibiotic chemotherapy among consumers of Zobo.