Abstract
Background: Salad which is served at restaurants in uncooked form can be source of bacterial contamination.Aim: To assess the microbiological quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) salads sold in two restaurants in Kigali, Rwanda.Methods: Lettuce samples were collected using aseptic techniques and immediately analysed using standard media for E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Staphyloccocus aureus besides total aerobic count.Results: The number of total aerobic bacteria ranged from 1.15 x104 to 2.87x104 cfu/ml for restaurant 1 and from 1.91x104 to 2.13x105cfu/ml for restaurant 2. Staphyloccoci count ranged from 3.6x102 to 1.173x103 cfu/ml for restaurant 1 and from 1.9 x102 to 3.2 x102 cfu/ml for restaurant 2. Gram negative bacteria count ranged from 8.3 x102 to 1.03 x105 cfu/ml for restaurant 1 and from 5.05 x102 to 2.30 x105 cfu/ml for restaurant 2. Salmonella and Shigella count ranged from 2.54x103 to 2.04x104 cfu/ml for restaurant 1 and from 3.65x103 to 2.5x104 cfu/ml for restaurant 2. E. coli was found in 75% of the sample from restaurant 1 and 100% of the sample from restaurant 2.Conclusion: Improvement in hygiene is needed during preparation and handling of lettuce salad in these restaurants.Keywords: Lactuca sativa, microbiological quality, restaurants, Rwanda
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