Knowledge, Attitude, Hygiene Practices, and Enumeration of Salmonella from Raw Meat at Retailer Shops in Chelenko Town, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Aim
Salmonella has been identified as the primary contributor to foodborne illnesses, posing a significant public health issue due to
its high contamination rates.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2022 to December 2022 to isolate and determine the burden of Salmonella in
goat meat at retail shops and to identify knowledge, attitudes, and hygienic practices in Eastern Ethiopia. A total of 224 samples
were collected from goat meat, and environmental samples (cutting board, knife, worker’s hand, and hook) were examined for
the prevalence of Salmonella using conventional microbiological procedures. All samples underwent serial dilution to determine
Salmonella loads in goat meat from the retailer’s houses. Additionally, 33 retail shop workers with different demographics were
interviewed regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to Salmonellosis.
Results
The results revealed that out of 224 goat meat and environmental swab samples examined, the prevalence of Salmonella was
26.78%, 31.6%, 19.6%, 22.2% and 15.8% for goat meat swabs, cutting boards, hand swab samples, knife, and hook swab
samples, respectively. The total average loads of Salmonella on different samples were found to be 6.88×105 cfu/mL, 6.09×105
cfu/mL, 6.51×105 cfu/mL, 4.59×105 cfu/mL and 3.28×105 cfu/mL for meat swab samples from retailers, hand swab samples,
cutting boards, knife swabs, and hook swab samples, respectively.
Conclusion
The study showed that the hygienic status of retail shops in the study area is poor, and the prevalence and load of Salmonella
are high. Based on these results, it is recommended to raise awareness to reduce the prevalence of Salmonella in goat meat and
decrease bacterial loads. Additionally, the responsible authorities should coordinate with retailers and shops to enforce good
hygienic handling practices.