Listeriaspp. in Street-Vended Ready-to-Eat Foods

Abstract

Street-vended ready-to-eat food sold in Egypt, including sandwiches and dishes of traditional food, was examined for the presence of Listeria species. Out of 576 samples, 24% were found to contain Listeria species. L. monocytogenes and L. innocua were isolated from 57% and 39% of the contaminated samples, respectively. Other Listeria spp. were detected with lower frequency. L. monocytogenes of ≥103 CFU/g were detected in 7% of the total examined samples, which represent 49% of the contaminated food samples (meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, and products of plant origin). Most of the samples contaminated by L. monocytogenes had high levels of total viable bacterial counts. The results obtained may help to clarify the epidemiology of listeriosis in the country and draw the attention of the decision makers to issue hygienic regulations for food processing industries as well as street vendors in order to ensure safe street-vended ready-to-eat food.

Cholera Epidemic Associated with Consumption of Unsafe Drinking Water and Street-Vended Water—Eastern Freetown, Sierra Leone, 2012

“…Streetvended food and drink have previously been shown to harbor a wide variety of enteric pathogens including Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and V. cholerae. [24][25][26][27] Prevention of food-and waterborne disease from street vended food and beverages requires that vendors have access to safe water, hygiene, and sanitation facilities combined with information, education, and communication on safe food and water handling practices. 28 Instituting these activities in dense urban areas where street-vended foods are widely available and regularly consumed by much of the population may help prevent future cholera outbreaks.…”

Untitled

“…The method by Moustafa et al, (2011) 16 was adopted with slight modifications; one millilitre of the pre-enriched culture was added to 9 mL of listeria selective broth and further incubated for 24 h at 30 °C. The broth culture (after incubation) was streaked onto plates of Oxford agar and incubated at 37 °C for 48 h. Gray colonies surrounded with black centres were presumed to be Listeria monocytogenes.…”

Qualidade Microbiológica Da Comida De Rua De Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

“…Estudos desenvolvidos em vários países revelam que a contaminação microbiana destes produtos é irrefutável, partindo do pressuposto de que as condições de higiene e manipulação destes alimentos podem estar insatisfatórias, visto a escassez de recursos nos locais de comércio. 3,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Vendedores de comida de rua comercializam seus produtos em locais com trânsito numeroso de pessoas e veículos e que normalmente não cumprem todos os requisitos de segurança alimentar. 7 As condições ambientais, bem como a falta de equipamentos de refrigeração, fontes de água potável, higiene pessoal dos manipuladores e instalações sanitárias públicas, além de aumentar as chances de contaminação, favorecem o crescimento bacteriano.…”

“…7 As condições ambientais, bem como a falta de equipamentos de refrigeração, fontes de água potável, higiene pessoal dos manipuladores e instalações sanitárias públicas, além de aumentar as chances de contaminação, favorecem o crescimento bacteriano. 6 Além disso, os alimentos preparados e armazenados de forma inadequada podem ser carreadores de microrganismos, como Salmonella spp, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, e coliformes, 2,13 e essa contaminação pode ser reduzida com a aplicação das Boas Práticas de Fabricação/Manipulação em toda a cadeia produtiva.…”