Molecular identification and microbiological evaluation of isolates from equipments and food contact surfaces in a hospital Food and Nutrition Unit

Abstract

The hygienic and sanitary control in Food and Nutrition Units (FNU) is considered a standard procedure to produce adequate meals and reduce the risk of foodborne diseases and hospital infections. This study aimed to evaluate the isolation and identification of bacteria from equipment and food contact surfaces in a hospital FNU as well as to evaluate the sanitary condition. Likewise, it was analyzed the adhesion of the microorganisms on polyethylene cutting boards. The presence of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms, yeasts, molds, coagulase-positive staphylococci, coliform and fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli were analyzed on eating tables, countertop surfaces and cutting boards used for meat or vegetable handling, and equipment such as microwaves and refrigerators. The molecular identification it was done by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The adhesion of the microorganisms (biofilm formation) on meat and vegetable cutting boards was also evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed high numbers of all microorganisms, except for E. coli , which was not observed in the samples. The molecular analysis identified species of the Enterobacteriaceae family and species of the Pseudomonadaceae family. Scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed bacterial adhesion on the cutting board surfaces. The results obtained in this study indicated that the hygienic conditions of surfaces like plastic cutting boards and equipment in this hospital FNU were inadequate. The achievement and application of standard operating procedures could positively help in the standardization of sanitary control, reducing the microbial contamination and providing a safe food to hospitalized patients.

Molecular Serotyping and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Escherichia coli Isolated in Hospital Catering Service in Morocco

“…Regarding the utensils and food contact surfaces, the raw meats cutting boards were the most contaminated with a rate of 59.09%. This rate is still lower than that reported in a Brazilian hospital (90%) [ 28 ]. In fact, several studies demonstrated that these utensils present high microbial counts due to cross-contamination [ 29 ] and are influenced by the raw nature of handled materials and the surface material type (wood, stainless steel, plastic, etc.).…”

Virulence genotyping and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from meat and meat products in Egypt

“…In this study, chicken meat had the highest prevalence of Y. enterocolitica due to slaughter the poultry outside the slaughterhouse under unhygienic condition, also high levels of bacterial contamination occur especially during defeathering and water chilling. further, elevate the contamination levels during evisceration of the carcasses, washing, and processing due to contamination by workers (Pieniz et al, 2019). On the other hand, the beef has the lowest percentage of isolates where the slaughter is done in a slaughterhouse of Mansoura city at Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, showed lower contamination due to absence of section to slaughter pigs which are the carrier of Y. enterocolitica and excrete this bacterium in their feces (Paixão et al, 2013).…”

Caracterização fenotípica do perfil de resistência de bactérias isoladas da unidade de alimentação/nutrição em um hospital público de Recife-PE

“…É importante ressaltar que crianças, idosos, pacientes hospitalizados e imunocomprometidos são mais susceptíveis a adquirir DTAs, devido principalmente a alterações no sistema imunológico, assim as condições higiênico-sanitárias na produção de refeições e na higienização de utensílios utilizados na UAN, principalmente os de uso compartilhado entre os pacientes com enfermidades diferentes, precisam de uma maior atenção e cuidado devido a maior vulnerabilidade do públicoalvo (Hanzen et al, 2019;Pena et al, 2019;Pieniz et al, 2019).…”