Hunted game birds (eight partridges, nine wood pigeons, 25 quails, 16 chilled and 16 frozen-thawed pheasants) were processed according to "Good Manufacturing Practice" rules. Microflora of skin, intestinal content and meat cuts (breast and thigh, both fresh and stored in vacuum package) was analysed. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella sp. and Campylobacter sp. were not recovered from any sample. Log microbial numbers on skin or in intestines were not significantly related to those on meat cuts. With the exception of pigeons, microbial numbers of the two meat cuts did not differ significantly (p>0.05), and no significant increase in microbial numbers in vacuum-stored meat was found; the same applied to frozen-thawed compared to chilled pheasants. On meat, average total viable counts were <4.00 log cfu/cm 2 with a maximum of 6.48 log cfu/cm 2 . Median Escherichia coli numbers were <2.00 log cfu/cm 2 , maximum was 4.48 log cfu/cm 2 . Meat cuts obtained from partridges, quails and pheasants demonstrated a shelf life of 1 week, provided they were kept vacuum-packaged at 0°C to 1°C.

Cross-contamination of animal carcasses and their contact surfaces at any level of the meat handling process is a significant factor in the production of high-quality meat. The present study was carried out to investigate the hygienic status at El-Qurein abattoir, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. Microbial indicators for the hygienic measures including total aerobic plate count (APC) and Staphylococcus count (TSC) were investigated. In addition, the prevalence of Staphylococcus species among abattoir samples and Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial susceptibility testing were also detected. The obtained results revealed that the bacterial contamination in abattoir samples was as follows; abattoir effluents > floors > walls > brisket > rump with mean values of 5.89 ±0.01, 5.65±0.02, 5.06±0.01, 4.87±0.01, and 4.41±0.05 log10 CFU/cm 2 , respectively for APC, while, 4.92 ± 0.02, 4.80 ± 0.02, 4.70 ± 0.02, 4.61 ± 0.03, and 4.38 ± 0.05 log10 CFU/cm 2 for TSC, respectively. The disc diffusion test of S. aureus isolates revealed its resistance to most of the tested antibiotics with high multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices. It was concluded that the hygienic measures at El-Qurein abattoir were inadequate. This study suggested the necessity of the application of appropriate food safety practices inside the abattoir and the adoption of personal hygienic measures among abattoir workers.

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