The purpose of this study was to quantify the microbial load and to detect potentially pathogenic germs on the surface of absorbent food pads in the packaging of fresh chicken and minced meat marketed in the retail units in Romania. The load in E. coli, as an indicator of faecal contamination, was significantly lower than that of Enterobacteriacea and coliform germs. Congo red-binding E. coli strains have been identified. The affinity for the Congo red dye is considered a phenotypic marker for the presence of curli fibers. These surface formations give the bacterial strains the ability to form biofilm on various surfaces. Their presence also correlates with the property of these bacterial strains to trigger severe infections in humans. These strains showed 100% resistance to fourth-generation cephalosporins, 87.5% to third-generation cephalosporins and 75% to quinolones. A single strain was resistant to meropenem. All the tested strains were susceptible to gentamicin. Coagulase-positive staphylococci were identified in 40% of the analyzed samples. Of the 30 strains of Staphylococcus spp. tested (coagulase-positive and negative), 63.3% proved to be methicillin-resistant and 43.3% had resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. In one sample, it was detected Salmonella infantis. Thus, it can be appreciated that these absorbent food pads may be a source of direct contamination with potentially pathogenic and / or antibiotic-resistant germs for the persons who manipulates them in their domestic environment, as well as a source of cross-contamination of food and other surfaces in the kitchen.
The large amount of stored waste is still a big concern for Romania and according to the legislative provisions, until 16th of July 2016, it has to be reduced at 35% from the total amount of waste stored in 1995 (2). Attempting this goal depends on the extent to which the population perceives the need of selective collection, recycling and residue minimization and on the way in which the local authorities facilitates the proper conduct of this process and ensures compliance with the hygiene and public health standards in relation to the location of household waste pre-collection containers.The aim of this paper was to verify if the previsions contained in the Order no. 119/2014, for the aproval of Hygiene and public health standards regarding the population’s living environment, are complied with.In this regard, there were conceived questionnaires concerning the emplacement of storage platforms for containers used for selective collection of household waste, containing the requirements stipulated in Chapter 1 – Hygiene standards regarding the housing areas, article 4, point a) (1).It has been found that in the living areas taken into study, the requirements stipulated in Order no. 119/2014, for the aproval of Hygiene and public health standards regarding the population’s living environment, in Chapter 1 – Hygiene standards regarding the housing areas, article 4, point a), are not fully respected.
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