Prevalence of salmonella in different poultry and meat food products in Hebron district: a prevalence study

Abstract Background Salmonella continues to be a leading cause of food-borne enteric disease in many countries and is responsible for substantial human suffering, loss of productivity, and mortality. Although the disease is underreported, an estimated 1·4 million people were affected in 2008 in the USA, with an overall health cost of US$2·6 billion. Poultry meat is an important vehicle of food-borne salmonella infections in people; the proportion of all salmonellosis cases that are associated with meat and poultry consumption was about 29% from 2004 to 2008. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of salmonella in raw, precooked, and cooked food poultry and meat food products in Hebron district, occupied Palestinian territories. Methods As part of the routine activities of environmental health inspectors in Hebron Public Health Directorate, 61 poultry and meat products (sausage, grilled chicken, cooked shawarma, chicken turkey, steak turkey, boneless chicken, frozen chicken, spiced uncooked shawarma, and schnitzel) were collected from restaurants, university cafeterias, and hospitals and transported to the central public health laboratory in Ramallah in portable, insulated cold-boxes. Among these samples were 11 cooked and 50 raw or ready to cook products. Salmonella tests were conducted by the team at the central public health laboratory of the Palestinian ministry of health. Findings Seven samples (11·5%) tested positive for salmonella: two samples of frozen chicken (3·2%); two of schnitzel (3·2%), and three of turkey (4·9%). All the samples that positive were uncooked. Interpretation No salmonella was found in the 11 cooked samples, which suggests that effective cooking can eliminate contamination with salmonella. Subsequent spread of salmonella may occur during processing due to cross-contamination. However, assessment of the true risk to public health from salmonella-contaminated poultry meat and of the benefit of reducing contamination is complicated by several factors operating between farm and fork. Funding None.