Antifungal Resistance Features of Fungal Isolates from Canned Expired Beverages Identified in Supermarkets in Port Harcourt

Following the sale of expired can beverage in the market and subsequent confiscation, few retailers still engage in sales and consumers ignorantly purchase and consume the product. Consequently, the consumed beverages result to food poisoning and consumers resort to antibiotic therapy which sometimes has been marked unsuccessful due to resistant microbes. The study therefore screened fungal isolates for their antifungal resistance features. One hundred (100) canned expired beverage samples were soughted- out from the counter of some supermarket in Oroekpo community of Rivers State, Nigeria and analyzed for fungal load, identity, resistance and biofilm properties using standard microbiological technique. Result showed a mean heterotrophic fungal load of 118 x 102 cfu/lm, a macroscopic and microscopic identity of four fungal genera namely; Mucor sp., Penicillium sp., Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger from the samples. The result, further showed that the concentrations of clotrimazole antifungal drug were sensitive against Mucor sp., Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus niger showing varying sensitivity percentage between 100 and 67 %. Similarly, Mucor sp., Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus sp. were most sensitive to concentrations of fluconazole. However, Penicilium spp. had high level resistance to concentrations of fluconazole at a resistivity level of 100%. Some level of sensitivity was observed with Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus flavus. with respect to concentrations of Miconazole. Consequently, Mucor sp. showed some level of resistance to concentrations of miconazole. Basically, the resistance of Mucor sp. to all concentrations of Micconazole is attributed to the isolates biofilm formation properties. Thus, the isolation and identification of micconazole resistance fungal in expired can beverages is a pointer to a potential public health risk, following fungal biofilm feature which resist most common antifungal drugs. Hence, more appropriate and effective antifungal drug is hereby proposed.