The Bacteriological Quality of Raw Cow Milk Obtained from Herdsmen in Okigwe, Imo State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to examine the bacteriological quality of cow’s raw milk obtained from herdsmen at Okigwe, Imo States. Standard microbiological procedure was used to carry out this research. A total number of five samples were gotten from different streets in Okigwe metropolis in sterile specimen containers. Ten fold serial dilution was carried with each of the sample with the 4th tube to 6th tube being inoculated on Nutrient agar, Salmonella- Shigella agar and MacConkey agar by spread plate method and incubated at 37oC for 24 hours. The microorganisms were identified were Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium sp, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus sp, E. coli, Lactobacillus sp and Salmonella typhi. The total viable count for raw cow milk ranged from 6.6 x105CFU/ml to 1.01 x 106CFU/ml while total coliform count was from 6.2x106 CFU/ml to 1.7x106 CFU/ml. They frequency of occurrence of Lactobacillus sp was highest with a value 85 and the lowest frequency was Salmonella typhi II with a value of 2. The raw cow milk was observed to harbor some pathogenic microorganisms which can cause infections when ingested.