There is a growing concern that barbershops could serve as a potential source of bacterial, fungal or
even viral infections and little is known about microbiological hazards of barbershops in the university
environment in Nigeria. This study evaluated microbiological hazards of barbershops in a university
setting in Nigeria. To determine the types of microorganisms prevalent in barbershops, combs, brush,
clippers and apron used in barbershops were sampled with a moistened sterile cotton swabs. All the
samples collected were transported to the laboratory without delay for culture and treated according to
standard method. A variety of selective and differential microbial media were used for presumptive
identification of contaminating microorganisms which were authenticated by Gram staining,
microscopic examination and biochemical tests. Five bacterial and five fungal species were isolated
from swab samples. The bacterial isolates included Streptococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus,
Enterococcus sp., Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterobacterium sp. The five fungal isolates were
identified as Aspergillus sp., Trichophyton sp., Penicillum sp., Rhizopus sp., and Mucor sp. The results
of our study clearly indicate that much effort has to be put in educating clients of barbershops and
service providers about hazards inherent in barbering practice and the importance of putting preventive
measures in pla
