Abstract

There is a growing concern that barbershops could serve as a potential source of bacterial, fungal or even viral infections and little is known about microbiological hazards of barbershops in the university environment in Nigeria. This study evaluated microbiological hazards of barbershops in a university setting in Nigeria. To determine the types of microorganisms prevalent in barbershops, combs, brush, clippers and apron used in barbershops were sampled with a moistenedsterile cotton swabs. All the samples collected were transported to the laboratory without delay for culture and treated according to standard method. A variety of selective and differential microbial media were used for presumptive identification of contaminating microorganisms which were authenticated by Gram staining, microscopic examination and biochemical tests. Five bacterial and five fungal species were isolated from swab samples.  The bacterial isolates includedStreptococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus sp., Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterobacterium sp. The five fungal isolates were identified asAspergillus sp., Trichophyton sp., Penicillum sp., Rhizopus sp., and Mucor sp. The results of our study clearly indicate that much effort has to be put in educating clients of barbershops and service providers about hazards inherent in barbering practice and the importance of putting preventive measures in place.

Key words: Bacteria, fungi, potential pathogens, contamination, barber shops.