Assessment of the Role of Cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) as Carriers of Medically Important Parasites and Microorganisms in College of Agriculture, Lafia, Students Hostels, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Cockroaches are found in human dwellings. They are distributed worldwide. They play an important role in transmitting diseases either mechanically and occasionally biologically. Numerous bacteria and parasites of medical importance have been isolated from cockroaches. This research was therefore designed to identify parasites and to isolate microorganisms of medical importance from external surfaces and gastrointestinal tract of cockroaches collected from different parts of student hostels of College of Agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of 170 cockroaches were trapped and collected from different location of the male and female hostels in the College and were examined using standard parasitological and microbial techniques. Normal saline was used in the washing and examination of external surfaces, dissection and examination of gastrointestinal tract; culturing the external surfaces, wash and intestine homogenates of the cockroaches in groups. Ova and cycts of some human parasites were found from the gut of cockroaches Trichuris trichiura (21.17%), Ascaris lumbricoides (23.52%), Entamoeba histolytica (24.70%), Hookworm (12.94%), and Enterobius vermicularis (15.29%) and also some species of bacteria and fungi were also recovered from the body of the cockroaches. Some microorganism of medical important were also recovered; Staplylococcus aureus (25.88%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (21.17%), Bacillus cereus(20.58%) Escherichia coli (32.35%). The result from this study indicates that cockroaches as a domestic pests could pose a health problem to human. Therefore, we must control cockroaches particularly in indoors, sewage and solid wastes.