Bacteriological Profile of Ready-To-Serve “Achu” and “Yellow Soup” Sold Within Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon

Manetsop Ornela Amandine, Mary Chia-Garba* and Asanghanwa Milca

Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, P. O. Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon

*Corresponding Author: Mary Chia-Garba, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bamenda, P. O. Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon.

Received: August 18, 2025; Published: September 24, 2025

Abstract

Introduction: Street-sold food may form an important source of food poisoning if not properly handled during the preparatory phase or while serving to consumers. In this study, we aimed at screening for bacteria in ready - to - serve achu and yellow soup vended in the streets within Bamenda municipality. This was a cross-sectional study carried out within a month; involving 60 vendors of achu and yellow soup within Bamenda municipality.

Materials and Methods: The samples collected were aseptically transported to the microbiology department of the Bamenda Regional Hospital laboratory. 2 µL of the yellow soup and a swap of each of the achu samples were separately inoculated on Blood Agar, Mannitol Salt Agar, Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, Salmonella-Shigella Agar and MacConkey Agar using the streak plate technique. Isolates obtained were identified by their morphology, gram stain and biochemical tests. Additional information regarding food preparation, storage and handling practices by vendors were noted using a questionnaire to correlate with the extent of bacterial contamination.

Results: All achu samples (100%) and majority (83.3%) of the yellow soup samples were contaminated with pathogens.The microorganisms isolated from achu and yellow soup in this study included Eschericha coli (33.3%, 31.7%), Enterobacter spp (28.3%, 21.7%), Klebsiella (20.0%, 5.0%), Pseudomonas (13.3%, 1.7%), Proteus (3.3%, 1.7%), Alpha haemolytic streptococci (3.3%, 18.3%), Beta haemolytic streptococci (3.3%, 0), Salmonella spp (63.3%, 53.3%), Shigella spp (20.0%, 21.7%), Candida spp (41.7%, 0), Staphylococcus aureus (40.0%, 31.7%) and other Staphylococcus spp (30.0%, 21.7%) respectively. The most prevalent bacterial isolate was Salmonella spp and the least prevalent were Proteus, Alpha and Beta haemolytic Streptococci for the achu; Pseudomonas and Proteus for the yellow soup respectively.

Conclusion: All samples of the ready-to-serve achu and more than 80 percent of the yellow soup samples in this study were contaminated with food-poisoning pathogens; a potential danger to consumers. Access to good drinking water and health education programs for food vendors on personal hygiene, food safety and proper disposal of waste would greatly improve on food quality; thereby reducing food-borne diseases amongst the inhabitants of Bamenda municipality.

 Keywords: Bacteria Profile; Food-Borne Pathogens; Street-sold; Achu; Yellow Soup; Bamenda Municipality

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Citation

Citation: Mary Chia-Garba., et al. “Bacteriological Profile of Ready-To-Serve “Achu” and “Yellow Soup” Sold Within Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 9.10 (2025): 63-68.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Mary Chia-Garba., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.