Effects of Fermented Maize Gruel (OGI) on the Haemato-biochemical Profile of Wistar Albino Rats Challenged with Shigella Dysenteriae JBA 010

The ability of fermented foods to inhibit the growth of human pathogenic bacteria has been reported. Effect of ogi (fermented maize gruel) against pathogenic strains of Shigella dysenteriae was investigated (in vivo) using standard chemical and microbiological methods. The proximate composition of commercial feeds showed higher amount of total solid (85.82 %), crude protein (16.31 g/100g) and metabolizable energy (1355.09 KJ) than the ogi diet. However, ogi had higher concentrations of Fe, Ca and Mg than the commercial feeds. The commercial feed (CF) supported the growth of the animals better than ogi. The Packed cell volume (PCV) of all the animals ranged from 20.00 to 26.00 % while the challenged animals had lower WBC count than the infected animals. After 4 days of the experiment there was a decrease in the total bacterial count of the faecal materials of the animals compared to initial count, however, the difference was not significant at P˂0.05. Infected animals fed with commercial feeds had the highest microbial load when plated on Salmonella-Shigella agar. Ogi did not encourage the multiplication of Shigella dysenteriae JBA 010 in the animals. Compared to the control and the commercial feed, ogi offered a pronounced protection again the infection of the pathogen.