African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (19), pp. 2197-2200, 4 October 2007   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2007 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Microbiological quality of some brands of intravenous fluids produced in Nigeria

Atata, R. F.¹*, Ibrahim, Y. K. E.² Akanbi, A. A.³, Abdul, I. F.⁴, Sani, A.¹, and Ahmed, R. N.¹

¹Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of   Ilorin, P. M. B. 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria.

²Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

³Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

⁴Department of Obsteric and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: rfatata@unilorin.edu.ng or rfatata@yahoo.com. Tel: +2348035036850.

Accepted 7 June, 2007

Microbiological quality of some brands of intravenous fluids produced by some pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria was investigated. Membrane filtration method was used for concentration of contaminating organisms in the intravenous fluids. Thioglycollate medium, Tryptone Soya broth, Brilliant Green Agar, Pseudomonas medium, Mannitol salt agar, MacConkey agar, and Nutrient agar and Saboraud dextrose agar were the media used for the isolation and differentiation of the microbial species. Rabbitory method was used for Pyrogen test. Out of 160 samples analyzed, 14 (8.25%) were contaminated and remaining 146 (91.75%) were found sterile. The result of pyrogen test showed that 58 (36.25%) of the samples were pyrogenic. Dextrose (5%), peritoneal dialysis and Normal saline were free of detectable microbial species. Contaminating organisms in Dextrose Saline are Microsporum fulvum and Aspergillus sp. In Half strength Darrow’s Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Aspergillus sp. were detected. In Half strength Darrow’s, Full strength Darrow’s and Ringer Lactate, the contaminating bacterial species include K. pneumoniae, M. fulvum, Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium sp.

Key words: Intravenous fluids, sterile pharmaceuticals.