Summary
This study was undertaken to determine the type and estimate the prevalence of bacterial organisms on contact surfaces of five close-to-patient facilities in three veterinary health care settings within the Sokoto metropolis of north-western Nigeria. A total of 30 samples (10 from each setting) were collected and analysed using culture, microscopy and biochemical testing. Bacterial species isolated from samples in this study included the following: Bacillus sp. (27.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (15.9%), Listeria sp. (13.6%), Streptococcus sp. (11.4%), Salmonella sp. (6.8%), Escherichia coli (4.5%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (4.5%), Citrobacter sp. (2.3%), Klebsiella sp. (2.3%), Lactobacillus sp. (2.3%), Micrococcus sp. (2.3%), Pasteurella sp. (2.3%), Proteus sp. (2.3%), and Yersinia sp. (2.3%). A higher percentage (64.3%) of the total bacterial isolates were zoonotic in nature and hence of public health significance. Some pathogens have the potential of nosocomial spread. In this study, we seek to establish the first evidence of bacterial presence in the major veterinary health care settings in the Sokoto region of north-western Nigeria. Of particular interest is the hypothesis, which has not previously been formally tested, that nosocomial infections are especially likely to be implicated in both animals and occupational diseases in Nigeria. It was suggested that some of these isolates were associated with the risk of nosocomial and zoonotic infections and hence draws attention to the need to rigorously employ standard veterinary precautions as part of the hospital’s infection control programme in an attempt to protect both patients and staff from infections.

Keywords
Bacterium, Hospital, Nigeria, Nosocomial, Veterinary, Zoonosis.