ABSTRACT 

Secondhand clothes have been used by people of different classes, social status and economic standings. Microorganisms associated with secondhand clothes were investigated.  Swab sticks soaked with peptone water were used to collect specimen from these secondhand clothes, especially children wears, undies and adults wears.  Samples were collected from fresh bails, in the morning and bails in the evening.  The swab sticks were inoculated using the streak technique method.  The results reveals that these second hand clothes can serve as pathogen city for microbes, as bacterial isolates of the number of samples analyzed reveal that bacteria isolated (Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Streptococcus) from Gate 6 has the highest load (5407.276, mean square, Ubani is 4029.265, and Ndoro is 2484.128) and the fungi (Penicillium, trichophyton rubrium, Candida albicans, Candida tropical, Rhodotoruls rubra) isolated in square mean are Gate 6, 215.622, Ubani 177.333 and Ndoro is 123.461.  The results give the impression that second hand clothes have the ability of being a pathogen reservoir.  Therefore, adequate and personal hygiene and proper washing of these clothes must be maintained by washing these secondhand clothes with detergents, bleach and other antiseptics before wearing them and also if possible, total avoidance of secondhand clothes.   

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Certification - - - - - - - - - i

Dedication - - - - - - - - - ii

Acknowledgement - - - - - - - - iii

Table of Contents - - - - - - - - iv

List of Tables - - - - - -- - - - vi

Abstract - - - - - - - - - vii

CHAPTER ONE  -   INTRODCUTION 1

1.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - 1

1.2 Aims and Objectives - - - - - - - - 2

CHAPTER TWO  -  LITERATURE REVIEW 3

2.1 Historical Review of Secondhand Clothing - - - - - 3

2.1.1 Secondhand Clothing in the Nineteenth Century - - - 4

2.1.2 Global Trade of Secondhand Clothing - - - - 4

2.1.3 Charity Organizations and Resale Retail Businesses - - - 5

2.1.4 Health Implications of Secondhand Clothing - - - 5

2.2 Health Care Workers and used Clothing - - - - 6

2.2.1 Barrier Properties of Protective Clothing  - - - - - 6

2.3 Decontamination Method used in Secondhand Clothings - - - 7 

2.4 Public Health Concern of Secondhand Clothings - - - 8

2.5 Microoganisms Associated with Secondhand Clothings - - - 8

CHAPTER THREE -   MATERIALS AND METHODS MATERIALS 12

3.1 Materials - - - - - - - - - 12

3.2 Methods - - - - - - - - 12

3.2.1 Collection of Samples - - - - - - 12

3.3 Processing of Samples - - - - - - 13

3.4 Inoculation of Microorganisms - - - - - 13

3.5 Isolation of Microorganisms - - - - - - - 13

3.6 Characterization and Identification - - - - - 14

3.7 Characterization of Bacterial Isolates - - - - - 14

3.8 Identification of Fungal Isolates - - - - - 17

3.9 Statistical Analysis - - - - - - - 17

CHAPTER FOUR    -   RESULTS¬ 18

CHAPTER FIVE  -   DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 27

5.1 Discussion - - - - - - - - 27

5.2 Summary - - - - - - - - 28

5.3 Conclusion - - - - - - - - 28

5.4 Recommendation - - - - - - - 29

REFERENCES - - - - - - - - 30

LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page  

1: Morphological and biochemical characteristics of bacterial isolates 19

2:  Morphological characters of fungal isolates 20

3:  Bacterial load from 3 markets 21

4:  Fungal load from 3 markets 23

5:  Microbial load of isolates 25

6: Showing the significance of fungi and bacterial load between and

  within groups 26