Study on Bacteriological Quality of Foods Collected from Different Hospitals in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Hospital should provide a nutritious diet for the treatment and recovery of patients Therefore, the food must be safe, good quality, wholesome, and should be served at times that are convenient and appropriate for the patients. Food may be a source of contamination in a hospital which is often overlooked. The patient can be more vulnerable if the foods are not free of contamination. Prevention of foodborne infection in healthcare settings is essential. The present research work was therefore untaken to find out the presence of enteric bacteria specially E. coli,Aeromonas SpeciesandVibrio species from different types of fooditems collected from different hospitals of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Five agar media MacConkey, Tryptone Bile X-glucoronide (TBX) agar, Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Salt-sucrose (TCBS) agar, Brilliant Green Agar (BGA) and Xylose-Lysine Desoxycholate agar (XLD) were used to observe the presence of our targeted microorganisms in food items. Seven biochemical tests were performed to identify the targeted organisms. The tests are KIA, citrate, motility, indole, ornithine, urease, and oxidase test. Out of total 30 food samples we have found the presence of enteric bacteria E.coli, Vibrio, and Aeromonas Speciesin 17 (56.6%) food samples. All these enteric pathogens could be the potential cause for further illness of the patients in hospitals. Therefore, hospital authority should take necessary steps to prevent the unhygienic hospital food items. Along with the management of the hospital, other health professionals such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses should take the initiative for preventing contamination of the hospital food items to ensure health safety.