Abstract
Objective
To evaluate the bacterial contamination of ògì and omidùn by determination of viable and culturable, indicator bacterial composition, and antimicrobial potentials of omidùn and ògì.
Methods
Modified agar well-diffusion method was used to assay for the potential in vitro inhibitory activities of ògì and omidùn towards gastroenteritic bacterial species of infantile origin.
Results
Antibiotic resistant patterns (using discs) of fifty-one bacterial isolates, were between 0.0 and 100%. Higher antibiotic resistance rates were generally exhibited by the bacterial strains towards oral pediatric antibiotic suspensions except Sporidex in which lowest resistance rates of 10.5-58.8% were recorded. E. coli (63.6%), Ent. aerogenes (9.1%), Kleb. pneumoniae (13.6%) and Pr. mirabilis (13.6%) were the isolated bacterial species from ògì and omidùn samples (pH 5.9 - 6.8) with antibiotic resistance of 36.4% - 86.4% (antibiotic discs) and 27.3% - 95.5% (pediatric antibiotic suspensions). Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) rates of 12.5%-100% (antibiotic discs) and 25.0%-100% (pediatric antibiotic suspensions) were also recorded. In vitro inhibitory assay results of ògì and omidùn indicated that none of the omidùn samples inhibited the teething-diarrhea bacteria, while only 8.1% of ògì samples and 24.1% of Lactobacillus strains from ògì and omidùn were inhibitory in vitro but a total of 68.4% and 53. 2% of the teething-diarrhea bacterial pathogens were however inhibited by laboratory-fermented ògì and omidùn respectively.
Conclusion
There is currently no microbial stability and safety in consumption of cottage-produced ògì and omidùn for the control of infantile diarrhea but controlled fermented ògì and omidùn can serve as adjuncts in cases of infantile gastroenteritis. (Rawal Med J 2011;36:45-49).

Key words: Antibiotic resistance, foodborne pathogens, infant mortality, diarrhea, nutrition, ogi.