ABSTRACT

Footwear as a foot protecting device exposes the feet to contamination by microorganisms wwhich can lead to infections and diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate microorganisms associated with male and female foot wears in MOUAU. A total of forty (40) samples were collected from which comprises of male and female foot wears and was taken immediately to the microbiology laboratory for bacteriological analysis. A sterile swab stick was use to swab the samples and streak on the plate, and was incubated at 370C for 24hrs. Those that gave significant growth were identified by gram stain, motility and biochemical tests. The bacteria isolated were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus species while the fungi isolated from the samples were Aspergillus flavis, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium. They were identified using colonial morphologies and staining with Lactophenol cotton blue. From the result Staphylococcus aureus 15 (31.78%) has highest percentage occurrences followed by E. coli 12 (27.24%), Klebsiella species 7 (15.89%) and Bacillus species 7 (15.89%), while the one with the lowest percentage was seen in Streptococcus 4 (9.08%). For the fungal isolates Aspergillus flavus 12 (48%) has the highest percentage occurrence followed by Aspergillus niger 7 (32%) and the lowest percentage occurrence is Penicillum 4 (20%). The fungi and bacteria isolated from male and female shoes and the bacteria are are highly pathogenic the entire environment. Shoes should be wiped with disinfectant before and after use.  Do not wear shoes with wet feet because water stuck between toes is a common culprit. Give your shoe a break for at least 24 hours after wearing them just to air out some festering bacteria.