Microbiological study of some commonly used foods and drinks in Tanta Al Gharbia Governorate

Abstract

Background: Food borne illness represents a major public health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Methods: One hundred samples (foods and drinks) were collected in sterile stomacher bags, Bacterial isolation, colony count, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) enterotoxin genes by multiplex PCR were done. Results:The current study revealed that the Gram-negative bacilli were the most frequent isolated organisms representing (63.3%) followed by Gram positive bacteria (34.5%) and fungi were the least found (2.2%). Among Gram negative bacilli, Klebsiella was the most frequently isolated bacteria, among Gram positive bacteria, Staphylococci were the most frequently isolated bacteria, all isolated fungi were Candida species. Out of 16 identified S. aureus strains recovered from the examined samples, 6 isolates were proved to be enterotoxigenic. One isolate carried Staphylococal enterotoxin C (SEC) gene, two isolates carried both Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) genes and Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) gene, and three isolates carried SEA, SEB, and SEC genes. None of the isolates contained SED gene. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, food borne illness represent a major public health problem in Tanta.