Bacteriology Screening of Roasted and Raw Chicken Sold in Tripoli

Aims: This work was carried out to screen for the presence of bacteria in roasted chicken sold in the market, poultries shop and restaurants in Tripoli.

Study Design: A total of 25 roasted chicken and 25 raw chicken parts randomly collected from different selling points in Tripoli.

Place and Duration of Study: Microbiology laboratory in microbiology and immunology department in the faculty of pharmacy in university of Tripoli, January 2013 to September 2013.

Methodology: Bacteriologically examined using the standard microbiological method according to Based on the colonial morphological and biochemical test, the following bacteria species were isolated.

Results: Prevalence of Salmonella was higher in raw chicken samples (100%) compared to the roasted one (28%), E. coli was detected in both raw and roasted chicken (32%), whereas Shigella and E. coli O157:H7 were detected only in roasted chicken [(8%) and (24%)] respectively.

Conclusion: The study found that the raw chicken samples were more susceptible to bacterial contamination than the roasted chicken samples, therefore special strategies are needed to decrease the prevalence of bacterial pathogens in chicken samples present in Tripoli area. Therefore good handling/hygiene in processing and preheating of roasted chicken before consumption is recommended.