Characterization of Microbial Contamination in Local Food Handlers

Food borne diseases are common infections caused by the pathogens found on the hands of food handlers. Samples are taken from the hands of food handlers and found to have a high risk of infection. We have established a task to assess indicators of microbial contamination in various public food serving units A total of 66 samples were taken from food handlers from street food vendors, tea stalls, canteen/mess, Dhaba and restaurants. Of the 66 samples collected, 50% of the samples showed the microbial contamination. The samples were divided into 5 groups (Restaurants, Dhaba/food shops, College canteen/mess, Tea stall/Shake shops, Street food vendors). Then street food vendors group has most prominent contamination. The E. coli was the found most abundant microbes in all the samples followed by Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella, Enterococcus species and Citrobacter spp. Following the isolation and characterization the microorganisms. As the results indicate that the hands of food handlers are a potential vector for the transmission of foodborne diseases, a pragmatic strategy to make street food safe was needed.