<xhtml:span xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">Molecular evolutionary phylogeny of 16S rRNA fragments from Ugba&#160; ( Pentaclethra macrophylla) seeds </xhtml:span>

The evolutionary analysis of bacteria species harbouring 16S RNA sequences detected in the oil bean seed Ugba was carried out. The food product has a high socio-economic relevance to communities where they are consumed. However, reports from the media have shown that fatalities can sometimes occur after consumption, hence the need for a better understanding of bacteria associated with the product. Some of the species detected in this study like Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis can be food-borne and are well known for causing various diseases, which is a concern. Other species like Kurthia gibsonii, Stenotrophomonas geniculata and Alcaligenes nematophilus occur mainly in the environment and may have gotten into the sample in the field during or before harvest. The Phylogenetic analysis carried out showed that some strains of the same species resolved into different monophyletic groups suggesting species divergence or distinct evolutionary lineages. The species Kurthia gibsonii, was found to be the earliest ancestor following sequence ancestral analysis, which suggests that it was resident in the samples analysed before other bacteria. The Ugba seeds appear to harbour a diverse group of bacteria and will benefit from metagenomic investigations as well as studies of the mechanism of survival and succession to reveal the true nature of resident flora. This will help safeguard public health.