Abstract
BackgroundThere are numerous advantages offered by street vended foods, but evidence exists that foods exposed for sale on the road side may be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms. However, information on the bacteriological profile, bacterial load and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates from street food in Gondar town are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess bacterial profile, bacterial load, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates among street vended foods and also the hygienic practice of vendors in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsSocio-demographic characteristics and the hygienic practices of 24 vendors were collected using structured questionnaire. A total of 72 food samples from four different food items were analyzed and counted by standard aerobic plate count method. Ten grams of each food sample was transferred in to 90 ml of buffered peptone water and homogenized. The homogenates were serially dilute and a volume of 0.1 ml dilution was spread on solid media and incubated at 35-37 °C for 24 h. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done for isolated species using Muller Hinton agar and data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0.ResultsSeventy two food samples of street vended food were analysed for bacterial pathogens. 44/72 tested positive, a total of 63 isolates were identified as 19 samples contained two pathogens. The total mean aerobic bacterial count was 6.64 × 104 CFU/g which is varied from 1 × 104–1.86 × 105 CFU/g. S. aureus is the most frequent isolate 34 (53.96%) followed by E.coli 15(23.8%), Enterobacter species 10(15.87%) and Citrobacter species 4(6.3%). Gentamycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were found to be the most effective antimicrobials against all isolates but the enterobactereaceae were resistant to ampicillin and Ceftaziidime and S.aureus were resistant to penicillin.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that, the majority of street-vended food items in Gondar were contaminated with one or more different pathogenic bacteria. The presence of these bacteria in foods could lead to potential health problems for consumers. Therefore, health education as well as training in food safety and hygienic handling is required for food handlers to minimize contamination and the likelihood of people falling ill.
Highlights
There are numerous advantages offered by street vended foods, but evidence exists that foods exposed for sale on the road side may be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms
The total mean aerobic bacterial count (ABC) was 6.64 × Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/g which is varied from 1 × 104–1.86 × Colony Forming Units per gram of food (CFU/g)
Socio demographic characteristics of the study participant Of the 24 street food vendors recruited in this study, majority (75%) were females
Summary
There are numerous advantages offered by street vended foods, but evidence exists that foods exposed for sale on the road side may be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms. Information on the bacteriological profile, bacterial load and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates from street food in Gondar town are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess bacterial profile, bacterial load, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates among street vended foods and the hygienic practice of vendors in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Food borne diseases causes high morbidity mainly in developing countries [5, 6]; due to poor hygienic condition during food preparation and the lack of awareness about food safety [3, 7]. According to a 2017 WHO, report the global burden of food borne diseases states that each year as many as 600 million, or almost 1 in 10 people in the world, fall ill after consuming contaminated food. With cross border movement of people and food ingredients rapid identification of a problem in one country could prevent further illness in another if the incident is communicated quickly through an organized system [9, 10]
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