Exploratory Study of Bacterial Contamination of Different Surfaces in Four Shopping Malls in Sharjah, UAE

Abstract

Introduction: Frequent touch surfaces encountered in shopping malls can play a role in transmission of microbial pathogens and the dissemination of infectious diseases. This study aims at assessing the bacterial contamination of such surfaces in 4 large shopping malls in Sharjah, UAE. Materials and Methods: A total of 224 samples were collected from 4 different malls in Sharjah, UAE, in 2014, using sterile cotton swabs. The swabs were transferred and spread on Nutrient agar plates and incubated for 48 h at 37°C. Colony forming units were counted for each plate, then isolated and identified using colony morphology, differential staining, and growth capabilities on different types of media.Results: Out of all collected samples, 192 (amounting to 86%) were positive (contaminated with bacteria). In each mall, more than 80% of all sampled surfaces were contaminated with bacterial growth. The highest bacterial density was found on food courts' trays, food courts tables' surfaces, and food tray handles. Comparing the average bacterial count from all surfaces in the 4 different malls under study, a significant result was observed, with one-way repeated measures ANOVA yielding the following: F(3) = 3.42, P = 0.024. The highest mean bacterial counts were in the malls with the highest numbers of visitors/m 2. Conclusion: Nearly, every single sampled surface yielded a moderate to the heavy degree of bacterial contamination. This is cause for concern because infection risk depends to a large extent on infectious doses of pathogens. Consequently, cleaning services in shopping malls should be improved, and the public should be educated on the best hygiene-related precautions to be taken in malls.

Cross-Contamination on Atypical Surfaces and Venues in Food Service Environments

“…Up to 87% of menus were found harboring bacteria, including E. coli, which were not further serotyped, and Staphylococcus aureus, both indicating poor hygienic practices, in monitoring studies (8,19,31,81), suggesting that menus should be either cleaned and sanitized or periodically discarded as part of restaurants' hygiene protocol. Laminated menus could easily be added to a restaurants cleaning regimen by simply sanitizing the menus after each customer; paper menus cannot be cleaned as easily but do have a lower moisture content, as previously stated, which suggests they could potentially be used multiple times before discarding them becomes necessary.…”

“…Large and small food service providers alike have adopted technology into their everyday operations. Restaurants are utilizing tablets for ordering and playing games at tables, and small vendors, like food trucks and farmers market sellers, are employing tablets or swipe card accessories on mobile phones to allow consumers more payment options, and both occasionally have ATMs on site (31,33). Despite the increased presence of technology in the food service and retail sector, most information on contamination of technology related to food is performed in the home or in hospitals and other health care settings (2,10,12,52,92).…”

“…Additionally, studies have found that the bacterial species on participants fingertips were also present on their phones (63). Food service employees and consumers frequently interact with technology used as part of the venue as well as their own personal mobile devices (22,31). This interaction means that employees and consumers could potentially transfer bacteria from their fingertips to the technology in the venue and cause cross-contamination from screen-to-food.…”

“…All of these surfaces are not routinely considered to be at risk for cross-contamination. However, they are frequently handled by employees or customers, making them vulnerable to hand facilitated cross-contamination (31,64,81,83,88). Many of these surfaces, like screens and menus, have been demonstrated to support the persistence or transfer of foodborne microbes or surrogates and tracers; indicating they could become harborage sites of pathogenic microbes (Table 2) (2,35).…”

“…Reusable grocery bags have been found to support the growth of bacteria from meat juice when stored in trunks for 2 h (94); which indicates that if these bags are used again for other foods, cross-contamination may occur. It stands to reason that contamination from packaging could also occur on the conveyor belt or touch screens used to check out in grocery stores, especially since screens have been identified as potential harborage sites for microbes (31,78). Mobile vendors, temporary events, and markets with RTE foods all have different features in general but do have some commonalities that put them at risk of cross-contaminating foods and surfaces.…”