Microorganisms as an Indicator of Hygiene Status Among Migrant Food Handlers in Peninsular Malaysia.

Autor: Woh PY; 1 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Thong KL; 1 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Lim YAL; 1 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Behnke JM; 2 University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK., Lewis JW; 3 Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK., Mohd Zain SN; 1 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Asia-Pacific journal of public health [Asia Pac J Public Health] 2017 Oct; Vol. 29 (7), pp. 599-607. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Oct 17.
DOI: 10.1177/1010539517735856
Abstrakt: This study used microbial indicators to assess the hygiene status of 383 migrant food handlers from 3 urban cities in Peninsular Malaysia. Microbiological analysis revealed that all the hand swabs tested 99.5% positive for aerobic plate counts (mean [M] ± standard deviation [SD] = 3.57 ± 0.83 log 10 CFU [colony forming unit]), 20.8% positive for total coliform/ Escherichia coli (M ± SD = 0.30 ± 0.67 log 10 CFU), and 63.4% positive for Staphylococcus aureus (M ± SD = 1.38 ± 1.26 log 10 CFU). In addition, aerobic plate counts and Staphylococcus aureus counts exceeded the acceptable standard levels. Bacterial counts were found to be significantly associated with subjects' country of origin ( P = .019) and working responsibilities ( P = .001). Our findings indicate high probability of transmission of pathogenic bacteria from the food handlers' hands to customers during meal preparation and serving. This calls for improvements in personal hygiene and sanitation standards by the relevant health authorities among migrant food handlers.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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