Abstract

Poultry manure is widely used as an organic fertilizer to enhance soil fertility and crop yield, but it poses potential risks of bacterial contamination in vegetables. This study assessed the bacteriological quality of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) and waterleaf vegetables cultivated in some poultry-manured farms in Rivers State, Nigeria. Farm soil, vegetable leaves, and poultry manure samples were collected from three (3) farms and from one control farm over a period of three months. Microbiological analysis involved, enumeration and isolation of total heterotrophic bacteria (THB), coliforms, Salmonella, Shigella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Vibrio species using selective media, followed by morphological and biochemical identification of  the isolates. Results revealed significantly higher bacterial loads in manured farms compared to the control (p < 0.05 for most parameters). Mean THB counts from 2.9±5.9 × 10⁶ CFU/g in vegetables from manured soils, with coliform counts up to 8.0×10⁶ CFU/g. Identified isolates included Staphylococcus spp., Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., Micrococcus spp., and Corynebacterium spp., with Pseudomonas and Bacillus showing high percentage occurrence of 30%. Distribution varied across samples, highlighting manure as a key contamination source. These findings highlights the public health risks associated with unprocessed poultry manure in vegetable farming, emphasizing the need for proper composting and hygiene practices to mitigate pathogen transmission in food chains.