Pathogenic bacteria isolated from cockroaches found in food premises

Cockroaches play an important role in transmission of different diseases either mechanically and biological because they spread and harbor various species of microorganism. this study was carried out to isolate the pathogenic bacteria from external and internal body of cockroaches at food premises. a total of 48 cockroaches,32 of periplanetta americana and 16 of blatta orientalis,were collected at food premises in shah alam,selangor,malaysia. medically important bacteria were isolated from external and internal surface by using microbial technique. from the collected periplanetta americana and blatta orientalis,e.coli,salmonella species,shigella species,and staphylococcus were isolated and identified in their selective media such as nutrient agar,macconkey agar,and xylone lysine deoxycholate (xld) agar using microbial technique. the data obtained from the study emphasized that cockroaches may play an important role in the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to human. the presence of cockroaches at food premises maybe due to unhygienic environment. thus it may pose as a safety issue as they may carries of pathogenic microorganisms that can threaten the health of individuals. © 2016 penerbit utm press. all rights reserved.