Microbial Loads and Profiles of Poultry, Cattle and Pig Dung Produced In Owerri, Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Screening of raw poultry dropping (PD), cattle dung (CD) and pig manure (PM) collected from livestock farms at Owerri for their microbial loads were carried out using the pour plate method by selective enrichment technique. All samples were cultured on solid media with appropriate media and the isolates were identified based on their colonial and morphological characteristics. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus albusand Pseudomonas spp were isolated from all the raw animal dung, while E. coli was isolated frompoultry dropping and pig manure and Salmonella typhiandfaecalisfrom pig manure only. Three fungi genera Rhizopus oryzae, Aspergillus niger and Monascus were isolated and identified. Rhizopus oryzae was common in all the samples, while Aspergillus niger was found to be common in cattle dung and pig manure. The colony forming unit (CFU) per ml for total heterogenous bacteria ranged from 3.25x105 -4.0x109 in cattle dung, 1.27x105- 2.0x109 in poultry dropping and 2.38x105-7.4x109in pig manure. The total coliform count ranged 2.25x102-1.7x109, 6.4x105- 2.4x109 and 2.25x105-1.5x109for cattle, poultry and pig manures respectively. Fungi colony count also ranges from 7.3x102- 0.5x109, 1.50x102-0.3x108and7.3x102 - 2.1x107for cattle, poultry and pig respectively. There is the need to subject animal dung to further treatment before disposal since some of the microorganisms isolated are of public health and economic importance.