Abstract

---

The safety, efficacy and quality of herbal mixtures has become a concern to health authorities and health professionals, especially, with rise in microbial resistance to drugs and the demand herbal mixtures as alternative remedies. Thus, the need to isolate and identify microorganisms from some liquid herbal mixtures sold within Abuja, Nigeria. A total of ten samples of herbal mixture were selected at random, from herbal shops in Wuse market in sterile bottles and were analysed according to microbiological standard in Microbiology laboratory, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja. Samples were inoculated onto Nutrient agar, MacConkey agar and Potato Dextrose Agar, and incubated at 37oC for 24 hrs. Potatoe dextrose agar slants were also inoculated for the isolation of fungi. Viable bacterial counts of the samples were also performed using nutrient agar, molecular identification of sample was also carried out using DNA sequencing and blasting. The organisms isolated were identified using biochemical tests, and the following organisms were identified Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus spp., E. coli, Fusarium spp., Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp. and Mucor fragilis. However, the National center for biotechnology database, showed that the nucleotide query sequence of the 16S RNA gene was 99.47% similar to Pseudomonas geniculate (Gram positive), uncultured bacterium and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (Gram negative). The herbal medicine were highly contaminated and most of the organisms, isolated could be as a result of unhygienic handling of raw materials used during the preparation of this herbal mixtures.

Keywords: 16S RNA, Agar, Gram positive, Gram negative, nucleotide query sequence