Microbial Contamination of University of Port Harcourt Shuttle Driver's Palms and Steering Wheel

Commercial drivers interact with so many persons in a day and do cash transactions, which expose them to wide range of bacteria and fungi. This study evaluated the microbial load of Uniport shuttle drivers’ palms and their vehicle steering wheels. Total heterotrophic bacteria and fungi were enumerated and identified using standard laboratory techniques. The antimicrobial sensitivity and resistance pattern was also evaluated. The results in range obtained were; palms THBC 2 × 103 – 2.0 × 104cfu/mL, and TFC 1.5 × 102 – 1.35 × 104cfu/mL, while steering wheels THBC 2.0 × 103 – 1.25 × 104cfu/mL, and TFC 1.5 × 102 – 1.21 × 104cfu/mL. The diversity of bacterial and fungal isolates, and their percentage occurrence frequency included bacteria; Propionibacterium spp. (25%), Bacillus spp. (5%), Staphylococcus spp. (17.5%), Corynebacterium spp. (7.5%), Streptococcus spp. (10%), Escherichia coli (5%), Klebsiella spp. (5%), and fungi Rhodotorula spp. (27.5%), Penicillium italicum (37.5%), Aspergillus niger (15%), Penicillium expansum (15%), Candida albican (10%), Malassezia spp. (12.5%) and Fusarium spp. (22.5%). The palms of commercial vehicles’ drivers and the steering wheels of their vehicles share similar bacterial and fungal diversity. These bacteria and fungi are mostly members of the normal flora of the skin, which can be pathogenic if the skin is breached or they gain access to the mucosal surfaces.