Microbiological Quality of Indoor and Outdoor Air Within Biological Sciences Laboratories in Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria
Senyene Umana,
Nathan Edet,
Mfoniso Uko,
Bassey Agbo,
Maria Bassey
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 6, December 2018
Pages:
124-132
Received:
26 November 2018
Accepted:
14 January 2019
Published:
18 February 2019
DOI:
10.11648/j.fem.20180406.11
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Abstract: The microbiological quality of indoor air and outdoor air within Biological Sciences Laboratories (Microbiology and Biotechnology) was investigated. The settle plate technique using open Petri dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect sample twice daily for a period of 5 weeks at 7 days interval. Standard microbiological methods were employed for the identification of bacterial and fungal isolates. The results obtained revealed that the concentration of bacteria in the study area ranged from 2.05×102 to 1.53×103 CFU/m3, while that of fungi was 2.05×102 to 1.79×103 CFU/m3. A total of 8 bacterial and 10 fungal species were isolated and identified with varying frequencies of occurrence. This include Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Micrococcus spp, Citrobacter spp, Proteus spp and Corynebacterium spp, while the fungal genera isolated include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Rhodotorula harrison, Aspergillus terreus, Candida albicans, Mucor micheli, Cladosporium spp, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lecythophora hoffmannii. The bacterial isolates Bacillus spp (27%) and Micrococcus spp (22.93%) were shown to be the most predominant airborne bacteria while Aspergillus niger (21.72%) and Aspergillus flavus (18.69%) were the most frequently isolated fungal species. The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the microbial load of the indoor and outdoor air of Biological Sciences Laboratories at P˂0.05. Data generated underline the usefulness of monitoring the air quality of the Laboratory environment.
Abstract: The microbiological quality of indoor air and outdoor air within Biological Sciences Laboratories (Microbiology and Biotechnology) was investigated. The settle plate technique using open Petri dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect sample twice daily for a period of 5 weeks at 7 days interval. Standard microbiological met...
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