Several activities occur in abattoirs including receiving, slaughtering and sale of cattle for meat protein. In rearing of these animals, antibiotics and vaccines are incorporated as part of their meals as well as in the treatment of their infections. The regular use of antibiotics leading to the increased occurrence of antibiotic resistant organisms worldwide and also from abattoir samples, has prompted the determination of plasmid profile in these microorganisms as the plasmids act as a faster means of transmission of resistance genes. This study was thus aimed at determining the plasmid profile of multi-resistant microorganisms isolated from abattoirs. Several samples including swabs from the tables, cow blood, faecal matter and service water were collected from the Iwofe, Rumuodumaya and Trans-Amadi abattoirs located within Port Harcourt City. Antibiotics including Gentamicin (10 µg), Ofloxacin (5 µg), Augmentin (30 µg), Ceftazidime (30 µg), Cefuroxime (30 µg), Nitrofurantoin (300 µg), Cefixime (5 µg) and Ciprofloxacin (5 µg) were used to determine the sensitivity pattern of the isolated microorganims.The plasmid profile of the multiple antibiotic resistant microorganisms was determined using standard microbiological procedures. From the results, gram-positive isolates of the genera Bacillus and Staphylococcus exhibited 100% resistance to Cefuroxime, Ceftazidime and Augmentin while they exhibited 100% susceptibility to Ofloxacin. The gram negative isolates including those of the genus Escherichia, Pseudomonas and Proteus exhibited 100% resistance to Cefuroxime as well as 100% susceptibility to Ofloxacin. Strains of Escherichia coli, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus flexus and Klebsiella pneumoniae lacked plasmids while strains of Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis had at least one plasmid each. The absence of plasmids in some of these isolates, indicate that their resistance may be chromosome-mediated and not plasmid-mediated. The occurrence of plasmids in multi-resistant microorganisms, poses a serious public health threat as other susceptible organisms may become resistant to the regularly used antibiotics over time.

Antimicrobial drug resistance has become prominent as a universal health threat. This has been studied not only in humans but food animals as well. Many genes located on the chromosomal DNA of bacteria have been linked with drug resistance. It is therefore crucial that its occurrence in abattoirs where these animals are slaughtered be studied. This study was thus aimed at identifying some resistance genes in microbes isolated from abattoir ecologies. One hundred and eighty (180) samples consisting of service water, waste blood, wastewater, soil and faecal matter collected from Iwofe, Rumuodumaya and Trans-Amadi abattoirs within a period of one year were used in this study. Processing of the samples was done using standard microbiological protocols and the antibiotics sensitivity profile of the isolated bacteria determined using popularly consumed antibiotics. The presence of Beta-lactamase genes was checked for in the multidrug resistant isolates after they had been identified using molecular biological technique. Two strains of Escherichia coli had the blaCTX-M gene, Pseudomonas sp. strain 6174 had the blaSHV and blaTEM genes, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens had the blaSHV gene, Bacillus flexus had the blaTEM genes, Staphylococcus aureus had blaSHV and blaTEM genes. blaSHV, blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes were found in most of the Gram negative bacteria as Klebsiella sp. strain EIKU11 showed prominence of all three β-lactamase genes. This brings to light that some microbes in abattoir environments possess the β-lactamase genes which enable these microorganisms exhibit multidrug resistance, thereby making treatment resulting from them difficult. Adequate sanitary measures should thus be carried out to reduce the spread of these organisms to humans.

Citrullus lanatus (egusi melon) is the biological ancestor of watermelons but compared with the later whose flesh is red and sweet, egusi melon's juicy flesh is green or pale yellow and is bitter. 6 Egusi seeds contain vitamin B2 and C, fat, carbohydrate, riboflavin,

The upsurge of abattoir operations as a result of the rise in demand for meat protein has led to a corresponding increase in waste generation. These wastes are often channelled into nearby streams with little or no treatment which exposes aquatic organisms to the resultant consequences of this waste deposition. This study was thus aimed at determining the physicochemical quality of some abattoir samples in Port Harcourt city. Soil, faecal matter, wastewater, waste blood and service water samples from the Iwofe, Rumuodomaya and Trans-Amadi abattoirs were collected within a  period of one year and the pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), sulphate, chloride, temperature, nitrate, ammonia and heavy metals quantities including chromium, lead, zinc, cobalt, copper and cadmium were determined using standard techniques. The study recorded high BOD5 and COD values from the blood, faecal matter, soil and wastewater samples while service water samples had values within the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality limits. Seasonal variations in the physicochemical parameters of the samples collected both in the wet and dry seasons were observed. The pH values ranged from 6.2-8.5, BOD5 of blood, faecal matter soil and wastewater ranged from 2124-4349 mg/l while the COD ranged from 2715-8820 mg/l. In Rumuodomaya, the BOD5 and COD ranged from 2276-2727 mg/l and 2583-3245 mg/l respectively while samples from Trans-Amadi abattoir had values for BOD5 and COD ranging from 2253-4330 mg/l and 2931-4597 mg/l, respectively. Nitrate, chromium, cadmium, zinc, cobalt, lead and copper contents in the different locations varied statistically at α-0.05 while no significant difference was observed for pH, ammonia, temperature, COD, BOD5, sulphate and chloride contents at α=0.05. The BOD5 and COD of waste blood, wastewater, soil and faecal matter recorded values that were above permissible limits for service water and therefore raises concern for the aquatic life being threatened by these effluents as the amount of dissolved oxygen available for them will be reduced as a pollution of the immediate environment, if these generated wastes are not treated before disposal.