Incidence of enteric bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus in day care centers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

The incidence of enteric bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus in four day care centers in Akwa Ibom State was studied using culture techniques. The percentage frequencies of the isolates from 124 samples were Staphylococcus aureus (33.9), Escherichia coli (19.0), Klebsiella sp (14.4), Citrobacter sp (12.5) and Proteus mirabilis (7.4). The sources of contamination were floors, chairs, skin, bed linen, door handles, fans, children's tables, walls, windows, ceiling, headmistress's table and chairs, drinking water and wash water. Cultures from Aunty Chimmy's Day Care and Nursery School, Eket and Ideal Day Care and Nursery School, Eket yielded more organisms than those from Trinity International Nursery School, Ikot Ekpene and Adiaha Obong Day Care Center in Uyo. The results revealed the insanitary conditions in these day care centers. The enforcement of an effective public health enlightenment program is advocated in order to attract sufficient attention of the proprietors of these establishments to the role of fomites as reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms.