Pages: (1-9 )
Abstract
A bacteriological and antimicrobial susceptibility study of the bacterial contaminants associated with some Piriton, Folic Acid, Ferrous Sulphate, Paracetamol and Chloroquine tablets was carried out with focus on level of contamination and their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles using the disc diffusion technique. Isolated bacteria included different strains of Acinetobacter species, Alcaligenes species, Bacillus species, Citrobacter species, Corynebacterium spp., Flavobacterium species, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterococcus malodoratus, Micrococcus species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Serratia species, Shigella dysenteriae and Staphylococcus species. In all the tablets sampled Bacillus spp. were the most frequently isolated species. Six of the isolated bacteria spp. – Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Corynebacterium, Flavobacterium, Micrococcus and Staphylococcus - from sachet samples were also isolated from both hospital and community Pharmacies’ tablets. Piriton tablets from both hospital and community pharmacies were found to be more contaminated than other tablets. All the isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and pefloxacin while exhibiting varying degrees of susceptibility to all other antibiotics used. None of these isolates was susceptible to amoxicillin and ceftriazone. Strict quality control and assurance are suggested during production and packaging of all pharmaceutical tablets while drug dispensers in hospital and community pharmacy outlets should ensure compliance to good hygienic mode of dispensing drugs.
Keywords: Pharmaceutical tablets, antibiotics, antimicrobial susceptibility, bacterial species.,