Changes in microbial community content as well as physico-chemical properties
of soil contaminated with tannery effluents in Sokoto metropolis were determined using standard
procedures. The results showed that the soil sample contained a variety of microorganisms which
include Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Serratia
marcensces, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Aspergillus
niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium notatum, Mucor pusillus as well as
Fusarium sporotrichioides. It also revealed high counts of bacteria and fungi in all the sampling
sites. The viable count of bacteria was in the range of 8.60±1.80 – 8.70±0.52 ×105
cfu/g while
that of fungi was 1.70±0.30 – 2.0±0.10 × 104
cfu/g. Similarly, it revealed high levels of sulphide
(0.35-0.44mg/g), ammonia (0.40-0.60mg/g), and chromium (0.20-0.26mg/g) in all the sampling
sites. These levels exceeded the tolerable levels set by the Federal Ministry of Environment. The
presence of these microorganisms and chemical substances pose a potential threat to the local
inhabitants of these areas