ABSTRACT
Objective: This study assessed the bacteriological quality and prevalence of foodborne bacteria in raw broiler meat sold in Mymensingh City. Materials and Methods: Thigh and breast meat samples (n = 80) from broiler chickens were randomly collected from four live bird markets (LBM) in Mymensingh city for bacteriological analysis. To determine the bacteriological quality, a 10-fold serial dilution of the thigh and breast homogenate was made. Then, total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC), Staphylococci, and Salmonella spp. counts were determined using plate count agar, MacConkey agar, Mannitol salt agar, and Salmonella-Shigella agar. Gram stain, biochemical testing, PCR assays, and cultural properties were used to identify the bacterial isolates. Results: The TVC in the broiler meat sample ranged between log10 8.30 ± 0.54 colony forming unit (CFU)/gm and log10 9.04 ± 0.26 CFU/gm. TCC was found between log10 5.53 ± 0.38 CFU/gm and log10 6.66 ± 0.80 CFU/gm. The mean Staphylococcal count was recorded between log10 4.64 ± 0.61 CFU/gm and log10 6.42 ± 0.53 CFU/gm, and the total Salmonella count ranged between log10 4.75 ± 0.08 CFU/gm and log10 5.69 ± 0.58 CFU/gm. The prevalence of Escherichia coli was the highest (43.2%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (36.8%) and Salmonella spp. (20%), respectively. Conclusions: Data from this study indicated that the TVC and TCC of raw broiler meat sold at LBM exceed the permissible limits and are contaminated with foodborne bacteria, which might cause public health hazards.
ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are widely used at home, restaurants, and during festivals in Bangladesh. So it is very important to investigate possible microbial contamination in RTE foods. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the total coliform count (TCC), isolate, identify, and characterize the Escherichia coli in RTE foods. The antimicrobial sensitivity of E. coli obtained from RTE foods was also performed using 12 commonly used antibiotics. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 RTE food samples were collected aseptically and comprised of ten samples each: Burger, pizza, sandwich, chicken roll, chicken meat loaf, chicken fry, salad vegetable, ice-cream, yogurt, and milkshake sold in Mymensingh City. Samples were inoculated onto Eosin methylene blue agar and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. Isolation and identification of bacteria were performed based on cultural, staining, and biochemical properties, followed by a polymerase chain reaction. Results: The TCC in Chicken meat loaf, burger, pizza, sandwich, salad vegetable ice-cream, and yogurt samples were 3.57 ± 0.96, 3.69 ± 0.08, 3.50 ± 0.60, 2.60 ± 0.20, 4.09 ± 0.29, 4.44 ± 0.25, and 3.14 ± 0.30 mean log colony-forming units ± standard deviation/mL, respectively. The study found a higher prevalence of E. coli in RTE salad vegetable products than in RTE meat and milk products. Forty percent of the mixed vegetable salad samples showed positive results for E. coli. Whereas E. coli prevalence in RTE meat and milk products was 20% and 16.7%, respectively. All the 21 isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility test against 12 different antibiotics. It was observed that 46.1% were susceptible, 16.6% were intermediate, 46.1% were resistant, and 47.6% were multidrug-resistant (MDR) among seven different antibiotic classes. E. coli isolates were resistant to cephalexin, ceftazidime, oxytetracycline, and ampicillin and sensitive to gentamycin, followed by kanamycin, ceftriaxone, colistin, and enrofloxacin. Conclusion: The study revealed that RTE foods are a serious issue from a public health point of view. To achieve a safer level of E. coli in RTE foods sold for human consumption, public food outlets must improve hygienic and good production procedures. Moreover, MDR E. coli in these foods pose serious public health threats.
