Isolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility profile of bacterial isolates from unused diapers sold in major markets in Enugu Metropolis: Clinical and policy perspectives

Diapers, being one of the most used items for infant care, it is imperative that they are always free of contamination from microorganisms. The objective of this study is to determine the rate of bacterial contamination and the antibiotics profile of isolated bacteria from unused diapers sold in markets in Enugu Metropolis, southeast Nigeria. The study also investigated the effectiveness of the Nigerian Consumer protection laws towards maintaining the standard of care for infants and toddlers. Fifty pieces of different brands of diapers were sampled for bacterial contamination using standard bacteriological procedures. The results show that out of 50 samples analyzed, bacterial growths were identified in 9 (18%), of which five different bacterial species were isolated. The most prevalent being Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus 3 (33.3%). Other bacteria isolated were Lactobacillus spp, Klebsiella spp, and Streptococcus spp 1 (11.1%). There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of the bacterial contamination of diapers across the different brands(p>0.05). We conclude that baby diapers sold in markets in Enugu metropolis are prone to contamination with bacteria.We recommend that appropriate measures should be taken during the manufacturing process to reduce or prevent the incidence of bacterial contamination of diapers.