Incidence of Enteric Pathogens in Cooked Poultry Products in Relation to Public Health in Alexandria Province

A total of 200 random samples of processed chicken meat products including frankfurter, luncheon, strips, and nuggets (50 of each) were collected from different supermarkets at Alexandria province. The samples were examined bacteriologically immediately after arrival to the laboratory for isolation and identification of some pathogenic bacteria that may contaminate these products as E. coli, Salmonellae, Campylobacter jejuni, and Staphylococcus aureus. The obtained results revealed that the incidence of E. coli in the examined samples of frankfurter, luncheon, strips, and nuggets was 10, 14, 6 and 0%, respectively. It was observed that the highest incidence was recorded in luncheon followed by frankfurter and lastly nuggets, the incidence of Salmonellae in the examined samples was 4, 6, 0 and 0%, respectively. The incidence of Y. enterocolitica in the examined samples of frankfurter, luncheon, strips, and nuggets was 4, 8, 2, and 2%, respectively. The incidence of C. jejuni in the examined samples of frankfurter, luncheon, strips, and nuggets was 6, 8, 0, and 2%, respectively. The incidence of S. aureus in the examined samples of frankfurter, luncheon, strips, and nuggets was 10, 8, 6, and 6%, respectively. Based on the recorded results in the current study, it was clear that the rates of isolation of the investigated enteric bacteria were higher in chicken frankfurter and luncheon as compared to strips and nuggets that may be attributed to the hygienic conditions of the working places and the awareness of the workers.