Isolation and identification of bacteria isolated from UiTM Kuala Pilah bus transport / Azlina Sari

The improvement of technology in public transport has made it easier for traffics of people going through the same transportation from time to time and physical touch during the travel are coming from different background. Public areas such as the transportation system, restaurant and cafes, parks, toilets or other community areas can facilitate the transmission of microbes. The aim of this study are to isolate and determine the presence of enteric bacteria in samples swabbed from different location in UiTM bus transport. The usage of UiTM bus by mostly students are very common in everyday transit back and forth from UiTM Kuala Pilah to Kuala Pilah town. Hence, contamination and disease transmission when in contact with various surfaces in bus are inevitable. This study can inform people about hygiene awareness in public transportation as well as the need to routinely clean and disinfect areas in public transport for minimizing exposure to potentially harmful bacteria. The samples was collected in five difference locations in the bus and proceed with the isolation of bacteria on Eosine Methylene Blue (EMB) agar. Successfully isolated bacteria were tested using IMViC test and gram staining to determine their characteristics. Gram-negative bacteria with biochemical test conducted shows they are enteric bacteria. The presence of these bacteria in surfaces of public places such as the bus are common according to previous researcher hence it creates concern to identify these types of bacteria as it can cause disease if left unattended. Groups of Enterobacteriaceae was found in all samples.