Digital Knowledge Collection:

The personal and general hygiene practices of food handlers in the delicatessen sections of retail outlets in South Africa

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Title: The personal and general hygiene practices of food handlers in the delicatessen sections of retail outlets in South Africa Authors: van Tonder, I; Lues, JFR; Theron, MM Abstract: This paper presents data on personal- and general-hygiene knowledge and practices among food handlers in the delicatessens of a major retail group in the Western Cape in South Africa. Food handlers were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. Although the majority of food handlers adhered to basic hygiene principles, there is definitely a need for proper and continuous training in personal and general hygiene, not only for food handlers, but also for management. The study reported here is of importance particularly in view of new local regulations governing the application of the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system. Management is responsible for the implementation of this system, and where supervision is not adequate, the manager of the outlet should intervene to ensure that staff conform to the requirements.

The occurrence of indicator bacteria on hands and aprons of food handlers in the delicatessen sections of a retail group

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Title: The occurrence of indicator bacteria on hands and aprons of food handlers in the delicatessen sections of a retail group Authors: Lues, JFR; Theron, MM; van Tonder, I Abstract: Despite an increase in the number of food handlers receiving food hygiene training, a high number of food poisoning outbreaks still occur as a result of improper food handling practices in the retail industry. In this study, samples were collected from the hands and aprons of food handlers in the delicatessen sections of a prominent South African retail group and analysed for the presence of total viable counts (TVC), total coliforms, Escherichia coli, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus in order to assess the levels of contamination and to establish possible relationships. Noteworthy TVC were present on 98% of hands and 84% of aprons sampled and conformed to the national standard of 1 × 102 cfu cm−2 without exception. Coliforms were present on 40% of food handler’s hands and on 26% of aprons and when compared to the literature which suggests a target value of <2.5 cfu cm−2, 32% of food handlers exceeded the target with regard to hands and 8% with regard to aprons. E. coli was found to only exceed the limit in the case of one food handler. Enterobacteriaceae were present on the hands of food handlers (44%) and on aprons (16%), ranging between 5 and 1.8 × 101 cfu cm−2 on hands and between 5 and 2.9 × 101 cfu cm−2 on aprons. S. aureus counts were present on 88% of hands and 48% of aprons and ranged between negligible and 9.8 × 101 cfu cm−2 for hands and up to 6.2 × 101 cfu cm−2 for aprons. No significant statistical correlation occurred between the organisms on hands and aprons, indicating that the latter were not likely to be cross-contaminated by hands.

Food-associated bacteria in bioaerosols of delicatessens

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Food-associated bacteria in bioaerosols of delicatessens Authors: Lues, JFR; Theron, MM; van Tonder, I Abstract: Air constituency of the delicatessen sections of a retail group was assessed for the presence and distribution of bioaerosols and the correlation with physical parameters. Total viable counts were determined and the total coliforms, Escherichia coli, other members of the Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus were enumerated. These counts were relatively low, with the average total viable counts 1.34×102 cfu · m−3, Enterobacteriaceae 2.6×10 cfu · m−3 and S. aureus 2.2×10 cfu · m−3. Small numbers of total coliforms were detected and E. coli was not present at all. The distribution of Enterobacteriaceae differed significantly between three groups of visitor numbers and the total viable counts differed between two types of ventilation. The risk of infection should not be disregarded as a result of finding these organisms only in small numbers and could be a starting point in the prevention of food contamination, by regulating mechanisms to effectively minimize bioaerosols counts of enteric bacteria.

The ecology, biology and pathogenesis of acinetobacter spp.: An overview

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Title: The ecology, biology and pathogenesis of acinetobacter spp.: An overview Authors: Doughari, James Hamuel; Ndakidemi, Patrick Alois; Human, Izanne Susan; Benade, AJ Spinnler Abstract: Acinetobacter are a major concern because of their rapid development of resistance to a wide range of antimicrobials, and rapid profundity in transformation, surviving desiccation and persistinge in the environment for a very long time. The organisms are associated with bacteraemia, pulmonary infections, meningitis, diarrhea and notorious nosocomial infections with mortality rates of 20 to 60%. Transmission is via person-to-person contact, water and food contamination, and contaminated hospital equipment. The increasing virulence and rapid development of multidrug resistance by these organisms highlights the need to search for alternatives for chemotherapy. A poor understanding of the organisms and dearth of information about their occurrence especially in developing countries informed the need for this review paper.