Food and its preparation conditions in hotels in Accra, Ghana: A concern for food safety

Although a lot of work has been done on the safety of street foods in most  developing countries, not much has been done with regards to the hotel industry. A pilot study to investigate food and its preparation conditions in ten selected hotels in Accra, the capital of Ghana with respect to food safety was therefore initiated in 2005/2006. A total of 184 samples; 105 swabs of kitchen working surfaces, cutlery and plates; 29, 30, and 20 samples of food, water and fruit juice  respectively were taken for microbial analysis from ten highly patronized hotels between December 2005 and June 2006. Standard microbiological methods were used for isolation, enumeration, and identification of bacteria. Thirty Seven (37) of the swab samples showed the presence of coliforms while Escherichia coli was absent in all the 105 samples. The total count of aerobic bacteria was high in the swabs from the working surfaces and cutting boards (> 103 cfu/ml). All the food samples tested negative for Salmonella, Staphylococcus and E. coli. Coliforms and E. coli were not detected in any of the 30 water samples tested, Ten of the fruit juice samples tested positive for coliforms although E. coli was absent in all the 20  samples. Most of the swabs that registered the presence of coliforms were from  chopping boards, pastry and working tables suggesting that the method of cleaning these surfaces should be improved. The microbial quality of all the food samples tested was satisfactory with aerobic colony counts of less than 104 cfu/g and no pathogens detected in 25g of food sample, which is the standard for ready to eat foods. The water samples also met the  satisfactory criteria of no coliforms detected in 100mls of water. No pathogens were detected in the fruit juice samples, but with the exception of ginger juice, all were contaminated with coliforms which suggests that, stringent measures be applied in the preparation and handling of these juices. As a result of this study staff and management of these hotels are now  implementing Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).Key words: Food, Coliforms, Salmonella, Staphylococcu

Microbial profile of root canals of pulpally infected teeth in Ghanaians

Introduction: Pulpal and periapical infections are initiated by microorganisms when they gain access to the dental pulp. The success of root canal treatment principally depends on the eradication of the micro-organisms in the root canal system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the viable microbial profile of root canals with various stages of infection in Ghanaians. Material and Methods: Forty-four consecutive patients with sixty teeth referred to the Restorative Dentistry Clinic requiring root canal treatment were recruited. Root canal samples were collected from the teeth with sterile paper points. The samples were processed and subjected to microbial analysis and identification using Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). Results: A total of 259 isolates were recovered from the 60 infected root canals, belonging to twenty different microbial genera. Out of the 259 microbial species isolated, only two were Candida albicans, a fungi; 257 (99.2%) were bacterial isolates belonging to 19 genera. The 19 genera encompassed 53 bacterial species, out of which 26 (49.1%) were identified as facultative anaerobes, 15 (28.3 %.) as obligate anaerobes and 12 (22.6%) were aerobes. Streptococcus species (Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus constellatus) were the most predominant isolates, followed by Prevotella sp, Actinomyces sp, Enterococcus faecalis and Rothia sp respectively. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that infected root canals are polymicrobial in nature. The determination of the microbial profile aids in understanding the pathogenesis of pulpal and periradicular infections and helps in choosing effective antimicrobial irrigation and medicament for root canal treatment

Application of the WHO Keys of Safer Food to Improve Food Handling Practices of Food Vendors in a Poor Resource Community in Ghana

Data was collected from food vendors in a poor resource community in Ghana, which showed that the vendors constituted an important source of oro-faecal transmission. Following this, the WHO five keys of safer food were utilized in an evidence based training programme for the vendors to improve their food handling practices. Impact assessment of the food safety training showed that 67.6% of the vendors had acquired some knowledge from the workshop and were putting it into practice. Lack of food safety equipment was a major hinderance to behavioral change among the vendors as far food handling practices are concerned

Food And Its Preparation Conditions In Hotels In Accra, Ghana: A Concern For Food Safety

Although a lot of work has been done on the safety of street foods in most developing countries, not much has been done with regards to the hotel industry. A pilot study to investigate food and its preparation conditions in ten selected hotels in Accra, the capital of Ghana with respect to food safety was therefore initiated in 2005/2006. A total of 184 samples; 105 swabs of kitchen working surfaces, cutlery and plates; 29, 30, and 20 samples of food, water and fruit juice respectively were taken for microbial analysis from ten highly patronized hotels between December 2005 and June 2006. Standard microbiological methods were used for isolation, enumeration, and identification of bacteria. Thirty Seven (37) of the swab samples showed the presence of coliforms while Escherichia coli was absent in all the 105 samples. The total count of aerobic bacteria was high in the swabs from the working surfaces and cutting boards (> 103 cfu/ml). All the food samples tested negative for Salmonella, Staphylococcus and E. coli. Coliforms and E. coli were not detected in any of the 30 water samples tested, Ten of the fruit juice samples tested positive for coliforms although E. coli was absent in all the 20 samples. Most of the swabs that registered the presence of coliforms were from chopping boards, pastry and working tables suggesting that the method of cleaning these surfaces should be improved. The microbial quality of all the food samples tested was satisfactory with aerobic colony counts of less than 104 cfu/g and no pathogens detected in 25g of food sample, which is the standard for ready to eat foods. The water samples also met the satisfactory criteria of no coliforms detected in 100mls of water. No pathogens were detected in the fruit juice samples, but with the exception of ginger juice, all were contaminated with coliforms which suggests that, stringent measures be applied in the preparation and handling of these juices. As a result of this study staff and management of these hotels are now implementing Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

Volume 7 No. 5 2007 FOOD AND ITS PREPARATION CONDITIONS IN HOTELS IN ACCRA, GHANA: A CONCERN FOR FOOD SAFETY

ABSTRACT Although a lot of work has been done on the safety of street foods in most developing countries, not much has been done with regards to the hotel industry. A pilot study to investigate food and its preparation conditions in ten selected hotels in Accra, the capital of Ghana with respect to food safety was therefore initiated in 2005/2006. A total of 184 samples; 105 swabs of kitchen working surfaces, cutlery and plates; 29, 30, and 20 samples of food, water and fruit juice respectively were taken for microbial analysis from ten highly patronized hotels between December 2005 and June 2006. Standard microbiological methods were used for isolation, enumeration, and identification of bacteria. Thirty Seven (37) of the swab samples showed the presence of coliforms while Escherichia coli was absent in all the 105 samples. The total count of aerobic bacteria was high in the swabs from the working surfaces and cutting boards (> 10 3 cfu/ml). All the food samples tested negative for Salmonella, Staphylococcus and E. coli. Coliforms and E. coli were not detected in any of the 30 water samples tested, Ten of the fruit juice samples tested positive for coliforms although E. coli was absent in all the 20 samples. Most of the swabs that registered the presence of coliforms were from chopping boards, pastry and working tables suggesting that the method of cleaning these surfaces should be improved. The microbial quality of all the food samples tested was satisfactory with aerobic colony counts of less than 10 4 cfu/g and no pathogens detected in 25g of food sample, which is the standard for ready to eat foods. The water samples also met the satisfactory criteria of no coliforms detected in 100mls of water. No pathogens were detected in the fruit juice samples, but with the exception of ginger juice, all were contaminated with coliforms which suggests that, stringent measures be applied in the preparation and handling of these juices. As a result of this study staff and management of these hotels are now implementing Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

A molecular and epidemiological study of Vibrio cholerae isolates from cholera outbreaks in southern Ghana.

Cholera remains a major global public health threat and continuous emergence of new Vibrio cholerae strains is of major concern. We conducted a molecular epidemiological study to detect virulence markers and antimicrobial resistance patterns of V. cholerae isolates obtained from the 2012-2015 cholera outbreaks in Ghana. Archived clinical isolates obtained from the 2012, 2014 and 2015 cholera outbreaks in Ghana were revived by culture and subjected to microscopy, biochemical identification, serotyping, antibiotic susceptibility testing, molecular detection of distinct virulence factors and Multi-Locus Variable-Number of Tandem-Repeat Analysis (MLVA). Of 277 isolates analysed, 168 (60.6%) were confirmed to be V. cholerae and 109 (39.4%) isolates constituted other bacteria (Escherichia coli, Aeromonas sobria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae and Enterococci faecalis). Serotyping the V. cholerae isolates identified 151 (89.9%) as Ogawa, 3 (1.8%) as Inaba and 14 (8.3%) as non-O1/O139 serogroup. The O1 serogroup isolates (154/168, 91.7%) carried the cholera toxin ctxB gene as detected by PCR. Additional virulence genes detected include zot, tcpA, ace, rtxC, toxR, rtxA, tcpP, hlyA and tagA. The most common and rare virulence factors detected among the isolates were rtxC (165 isolates) and tcpP (50 isolates) respectively. All isolates from 2014 and 2015 were multidrug resistant against the selected antibiotics. MLVA differentiated the isolates into 2 large unique clones A and B, with each predominating in a particular year. Spatial analysis showed clustering of most isolates at Ablekuma sub-district. Identification of several virulence genes among the two different genotypes of V. cholerae isolates and resistance to first- and second-line antibiotics, calls for scaleup of preventive strategies to reduce transmission, and strengthening of public health laboratories for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing to guide accurate treatment. Our findings support the current WHO licensed cholera vaccines which include both O1 Inaba and Ogawa serotypes