Some aspects of microbial contamination of hands of workers in food industries.
With regard to food hygiene, the question is posed whether carriers of pathogenic organisms, like Salmonella can contaminate a product by their hands. This might especially be possible in case of bad toilet hygiene. Experiments were carried out in 13 food and 3 non-food establishments. An inquiry was made into habits of toilet use and hand washing. The following microbiological examinations were performed on workers' hands: total colony-forming-units per hand, and the presence of Salmonella, E. coli, Enterobact., Staph. aureus, faecal Streptococci and Cl. perfringens. Approximately 42% of workers in the food industry and approximately 64% of workers in other industries seems to use the factory toilet regularly for defaecation. Because of the presence of contaminated raw materials in food industries, it is impossible to get direct proof that faecal contamination of the hands is due to toilet use. However, there is indirect evidence that contamination of workers' hands by raw materials, especially of animal origin, is of much more importance than the consequences of toilet use. This is shown by the occurrence of Salmonella on the hands (5-36% pos.) in only those factories where raw materials of animal origin are handled, by the low incidence of E. coli on the hands in food industries where "clean" materials (vegetables, biscuits, chocolate) are handled, and by the total absence of E. coli on the hands of workers in two non-food industries.
D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013045:Species Specificity; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification