MOLECULAR CHARACTERISATION AND VEROTOXIGENIC POTENTIALS OF ENTEROHAEMORRHAGIC Escherichia coli 0157:H7 ISOLATED FROM FERMENTED FRESH COW MILK (Nunu) SOLD IN SELECTED CITIES IN
NIGERIA.
ENABULELE, S.A.,EGHAFONA, N.O. AND DAHIRU, M.
ABSTRACT
A total of 800 “Nunu” (a fermented fresh milk product) made up of 200 samples each from four major Nigerian cities, namely Abuja, Benin City, Lagos and Onitsha were investigated for the presence and prevalence rate of Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli 0157:H7, using standard microbiological procedures on Sorbitol-MacConkey agar supplanted with cefixime and potassium tellurite (CT-SMCA). All non sorbitol fermenting isolates which were colourless on CT-SMCA, suspected to be Escherichia coli 0157:H7 were characterised serologically using Oxoid Latex agglutination kit and molecularly with PCR techniques. Tissue culture assay to determine the verotoxigenic potentials of all…