P69: Antibiotic resistant Enterococcus faecalis in school canteens

Abstract This study aims to examine the incidence of antibiotic resistant [AR]Enterococcus faecalis in school canteens. The study covers selected primary schools in twelve Local Government Areas [LGAs] of Osun State, Nigeria. Samples analyzed include; cooked- food, swabs of plates and palms of food handlers. 36 canteens were examined, out of which 312 E. faecalis were recovered. Food samples have the highest occurrence (38.8%). This was followed by the palm samples (34.3%), while the least was the plate samples (26.9%). The result of antibiotic sensitivity test shows that highest percentage of the isolates (56.7%) were resistant to amoxicillin, while the least resistance was to vancomycin (6.4%).Resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline, and gentamycin were 53.2%, 47.1% and 38.5% respectively. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was expressed as levofloxacin (20.8%), ciprofloxacin (18.6%) ofloxacin (15.7%), norfloxacin (15.7%) and perfloxacin (13.8%) (Table: 1).The result concluded that a number of school canteens in Osun State were contaminated with [AR]E.faecalis. Healthcare authorities in the state should be more aware that occurrence of Enterococci in food and food canteen is an indication of faecal contamination. This may serve as reservoir for the spread of foodborne diseases through a large population of pupils in the state. Hence, good hygiene practices should be enforced in the schools. Keywords: Enterococci, Antibiotic resistance, School canteens, Food handlers.