Quantification of Campylobacter jejuni cross-contamination via hands, cutlery, and cutting board during preparation of a chicken fruit salad.
Using artificially contaminated chicken, the quantitative overall effect of Campylobacter jejuni cross-contamination, either via cutlery, cutting board, or hands, on the microbiological quality of a chicken salad was tested to identify the most critical transfer route. The end contamination level of salads prepared according to different scenarios, with or without cross-contamination, was compared. It was shown that the mean transfer rate calculated for all salads prepared allowing cross-contamination was 0.12% of the initial number of C. jejuni on the chicken fillet (8.8 +/- 0.2 log CFU). The difference in calculated transfer rates for the tested cross-contamination routes was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The prevention of cross-contamination by replacing cutlery and cutting board after handling raw chicken and the prevention of hand contact resulted in considerably reduced end contamination levels (< 2.4 log CFU) or noncontaminated end products. The results of this study emphasize the importance of preventing cross-contamination during food handling in reducing the risks of foodborne infections, and they provide useful data for quantitative microbiological risk assessment.
Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
L
L
Verhoeff-Bakkenes
R R
RR
Beumer
R
R
de Jonge
F M
FM
van Leusden
A E I
AE
de Jong
D000818:Animals; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002645:Chickens; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003297:Cooking and Eating Utensils; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005638:Fruit / Q000382:microbiology; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D011202:Poultry Products / Q000382:microbiology*