Isolation and Identification of Pathogenic Bacteria from Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Fresh fruits and vegetables are an essential part of people\u0027s diet all over the world. Since they are typically eaten raw and often without heat treatment or thorough washing, so they serve as vectors for the transmission of pathogenic micro-organisms associated with human diseases. This study aimed at isolating and identifying the pathogenic bacteria from selected popular fresh fruits and vegetables which are known as street food. A total of 7 fresh fruits and vegetables were collected from different open markets of Chittagong with aseptic condition. Selective and non-selective media were used to isolate and enumerate the bacteria. All the species were identified on the basis of morphology, biochemical tests (IMViC) and selective differential culture media. Among the samples Vibrio spp., Lactobacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Salmonella spp. were dominant. All of fresh fruits and vegetables were heavily contaminated with coliform and fecal coliform (\u003e 1100 CFU/100ml). Range of microbial count of guava was 2.1×104 CFU/ml, apple was 4.3×104 CFU/ml, tomato was 8.2×104 CFU/ml, cucumber was 5.0×104 CFU/ml, carrot was 1.3× ×104 CFU/ml, hog plum (Amra) was 7.5×104 CFU/ml. This results indicated that the serious concern for the people of Chittagong area as it can be a great risk for human health. So this results, suggested the necessity to create awareness about hygienic practices in selling and buying fresh fruits and vegetables.