Global Advanced Research Journal of Medicine and Medical Science (ISSN: 2315-5159) Vol. 3(6) pp. 124-131, June 2014 Available online http://garj.org/garjmms/index.htm Copyright © 2014 Global Advanced Research Journals Full Length Research Paper Susceptibility pattern of cold room bacterial pathogens to locally sold disinfectants in Owerri, Eastern Nigeria Chinedu E. Ihejirika 1* , Rose F. Njoku-Tony 1 , Michael I. Nwachukwu 4 , Onyenonachi C. Ihejirika 2 and Chidinma A. Ikpeama 3 1 Department of Environmental Technology,Federal University of Technology, Owerri 2 Department of Public Health, Federal University of Technology, Owerri 3 Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo 4 Department of Microbiology, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria Accepted 27 June, 2014 Efficacy of some locally sold disinfectants on bacterial pathogens isolated from cold rooms was determined. Five milliliters of different dilutions of chloroxylenol (Dettol), 5-chloro-2-hydroxy-diphenyl methane (Septol), and chlorohexidine gluconate (Purit) respectively were used. Organisms were isolated from swab and effluent samples collected in triplicates from 10 major cold rooms under standard microbiological techniques. Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Citrobacter freundii were isolated. A 0.1ml of each dilution was delivered into a culture plate of individual isolate respectively, and zones of inhibition measured. Zones diameter of inhibition produced by disinfectants on isolates revealed increasing inhibition as concentrations increased with significant difference in inhibition of individual isolates by the different disinfectants used(F (117.54) >F crit(4.19) ) at P<0.05. The trend of the zones of inhibition showed that Dettol>Septol>Purit. Bacterial pathogens present in cold rooms can cause food contamination and poisoning, and infection of exposed individuals. Proper sanitary application of Dettol, Septol and Purit will help prevent public health consequences of food contamination. Keywords: Disinfectants, cold room, effluent, pathogens, susceptibility, and public health INTRODUCTION Potential public health benefits of environmental disinfection are recognized by infection control experts and government agencies, including, the Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both agencies recommended addressing infection control or prevention as a multilayered process, including barrier precautions, *Corresponding author: E-mail: ceihejirika@yahoo.com personal hygiene, environmental monitoring, facility maintenance, medical device sterilization/disinfection, and environmental disinfection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2001). According to a CDC draft guideline, environmental surface disinfection is supported by epidemiologic, clinical, or experimental studies and is important to the control of Methicillin- Resistant Staphilococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin intermediate resistant S.aureus, and Vancomycin- Resistant Enterococci (VRE) transmission (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2001).