Comparison of cotton swab versus algiante swab sampling method in the bacteriological examination of broiler chickens

Methods for recovering microorganisms from solid surfaces used in the food industry: a review of the literature

Various types of surfaces are used today in the food industry, such as plastic, stainless steel, glass, and wood. These surfaces are subject to contamination by microorganisms responsible for the cross-contamination of food by contact with working surfaces. The HACCP-based processes are now widely used for the control of microbial hazards to prevent food safety issues. This preventive approach has resulted in the use of microbiological analyses of surfaces as one of the tools to control the hygiene of products. A method of recovering microorganisms from different solid surfaces is necessary as a means of health prevention. No regulation exists for surface microbial contamination, but food companies tend to establish technical specifications to add value to their products and limit contamination risks. The aim of this review is to present the most frequently used methods: swabbing, friction or scrubbing, printing, rinsing or immersion, sonication and scraping or grinding and describe their advantages and drawbacks. The choice of the recovery method has to be suitable for the type and size of the surface tested for microbiological analysis. Today, quick and cheap methods have to be standardized and especially easy to perform in the field.

Distribution of bacteria on hands and the effectiveness of brief and thorough decontamination procedures using non-medicated soap

Our perception of the role of hand washing in the clinical situation is based on experimental studies in which test-bacteria are usually inoculated onto the skin surface and removed using hand washing preparations containing antiseptics. In this study, we have investigated the distribution of bacteria on the hands of volunteers and the effectiveness of long (3 minute) and brief (10 second) washes in removing both naturally-occurring and artificially-inoculated bacteria (Micrococcus sp.), using only soap and water. There was a tenfold reduction in median counts of artificially inoculated bacteria following both long and brief washes. However, less than 50% of naturally-occurring bacteria were removed and, for hands previously disinfected by immersion in 70% ethanol, the washing procedure increased bacterial counts. In both unwashed hands, and hands washed following a strict protocol, the mean variation in counts of naturally-occurring bacteria at different sites (wrists, dorsal surface, palmar surface, fingertips and interdigital spaces) was only two-fold. The efficiency of recovery of naturally-occurring organisms was estimated by repeated swabbing, to be more than 60%. The data question the value of typical hand wash procedures recommended by many authorities for use in clinical situations and of the perfunctory hand washes frequently adopted by nursing staff in busy wards. Experimental evidence is required to justify procedures and to identify the precise circumstances in which they are of value.