Fresh milk from healthy cows contains few bacteria but contamination during handling and processing can rapidly increase bacterial numbers and subsequently depreciate it quality. This study evaluated the presence of bacteria and their antibiotic resistance profiles in white soft cheese (Wara) in three major producing local Government areas in Oyo-State, Nigeria. The cheese samples were collected in sterile universal bottles immediately after production. Samples were immediately transported to the laboratory for bacteria isolation, identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolates. A total of one hundred and sixty-five (165) bacterial isolates of ten different bacterial genera were identified from 102 cheese samples. The percentage of isolation rates of different species/genera were Lactobacillus spp (39.8%), E. coli (32.5%), Klebsiella spp (9%), Citrobacter spp (2.4%), Acinetobacter spp (3.6%), Pseudomonas spp (6.6%), Bordetella spp (0.6%), Proteus spp (1.2%), Staphylococcus spp (3.6%), Streptococcus agalactiae (0.6%). Results demonstrated substantial differences in their resistance patterns to various antibiotics. The isolates were tested against ten different antibiotics. The Gram negative isolates showed twenty-five resistance patterns while Gram positive isolates revealed fifty-four distinct resistance groups. In all, Gram positive isolates showed resistance to ceftriaxone (61.1%), gentamicin (51.4%), chloramphenicol (51.1%), amoxicillin (48.6%), ciprofloxacin (44.4%), cotrimoxazole (43.1%), perfloxacin (40.3%), streptomycin (40.3%) Erythromycin (31.9), ofloxacin (30.6%) while Gram positive showed resistance to chloranphenicol (22.6%), trimethoprim /sulfamethoxazole (20.4%), amoxillin/clavulanic acid. (10.8%), streptomycin (9.7%), gentamicin (8.6%), sparfloxacin (6.5%), amoxicilin (5.4%), Perfloxacin (5.4%), ofloxacin (4.3%), ciprofloxacin (3.2%). Multi-drug resistance to three or more antibiotics was observed in 69 isolates, 56 Gram positive and 13 Gram negative. This study confirmed that white soft cheese wara can be a source of bacteria with multidrug resistant phenotypes.
Key words: Bacteria, Antibiotic resistance, White soft cheese, Oyo-State, Nigeria
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