Bacteriological Tracing of Haemophilus influenzae in Some Public Toilet Seat Bowls of Port Harcourt

Abstract

The study aimed at tracing Haemophilus influenzae on toilet seat bowls of some public toilets in Port Harcourt. The toilets were coded DER, TYU, AFR for park, market and hospital toilets respectively, for the purpose of the study. Swabs were collected aseptically from the toilet seat bowls, with a moistened swab stick, and then introduced into a freshly prepared sterile peptone water for viability of the Haemophilus influenza isolates. Thereafter, the spread plate technique was employed in which the swabbed samples were inoculated into Chocolate agar. Result showed toilet seat bowl coded DER had a Haemophilus influenzae mean count of 5 x 102CFU/ml while codes TYU and AFR had a mean Haemophilus influenzae counts of 6 x 102 and 9 x 102 CFU/ml respectively.  A percentage frequency occurrence of Haemophilus influenzae on the toilet bowl showed DER coded toilets had 17% frequency of occurrence, while codes TYU and AFR had 25 and 58% frequency of occurrence respectively. A total of 49 isolates of Haemophilus influenzae were identified macroscopically and biochemically. The presence of Haemophilus influenzae on surface of toilet seat bowl may have resulted from aerosols generated during flushing. Thus, influenza infection (respiratory tract infection) may affect users. Hence, toilet seats, specifically, codes AFR class of toilets should be closed before and after flushing at all times.