Antibiotic Sensitivity and Plasmid Curing of Bacteria Isolates from Egusi (Cucumeropsis Manii) Cake (Usu)

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the antibiotic sensitivity and plasmid curing of food borne bacteria isolated from egusi (Cucumeropsis manii) cake (Usu).  Thirteen bacteria isolates from egusi cake samples were used which are staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Enterobacter aerogenes, Proteus mirabilis, lactobacillus spp, bacillus pumilus and Enterobacteriacae. The plasmid curing was done using acridine orange (0.75mg/1ml). The efficacy of plasmid was assessed through agarose gel electrophoresis, and the impact on antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated using antibiotic susceptibility discs. From the antibiotic susceptibility test, all Escherichia coli strains were resistant to Nalidixic Acid and Ampicilin. 33.3% were sensitive to Septrin, 33.2% were resistant and 33.3% were intermediate. The result showed that gram negative bacteria are more sensitive with 38% of the isolates showing resistance, while 78% of gram positive were resistant. The results from this study showed that plasmids played a significant role in the observed resistance in the isolates as they all contained plasmids of sizes within 12,000bp. After curing, plasmids were successfully eliminated in some bacteria, restoring their susceptibility to antibiotics. This research highlights the effectiveness of plasmid curing in reducing antibiotic resistance in foodborne bacteria found in egusi cake, thereby enhancing food safety, and minimizing the transmission of resistance to consumers.