Examination of table eggs for enterobacteriaceae in Kafr El-Sheikh and El-Gharbia Governorates

Abstract EN

Inspite of high nutritive value of eggs, it is responsible for several outbreaks and is a vehicle for transmission of certain pathogens to human.

So a total of 1300 pooled white and brown shell table egg samples (5 egg each) were collected from Kafr El-Sheikh and EL-Gharbia Governorates (Egypt) markets.

Pooled egg shell rinse and egg content were examined for Enterobacteriaceae and isolation of salmo-nellae.

Results revealed that 149 (57.3 %) and 110 (42.3 %) out of the 260 egg shell and content samples respectively were contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae.

White shell eggs showed higher contamination incidence (62.7 % and 44 %) for egg shell and egg content samples respectively than brown shell egg samples which recorded only 50 % and 40 % respectively.

Two hundred and ninety five cultures were isolated from pooled egg shell rinse samples and could be identified biochemically to Citrobacter spp.

(18.6 %), Serratia spp.

(17.3 %), Proteus spp.

(14.2 %), Klebsiella spp.

(12.9 %), Enterobacter spp.

(10.2 %) Arizona spp.

(9.8%), Escheri-chia spp.

(7.1 %), Edwardesilla spp.

(6.8 %), Shigella (1.7 %) and Hafnia (1.4 %).

While 318 cultures were isolated from pooled egg content samples and identified as Serratia spp.

(16.4 %), Citrobacter spp.

(15.4 %), Proteus spp.

(13.2 %), Enterobacter spp.

(12.3 %), Arizona spp.

(12.3%), Klebsiella.

Spp.

(11.0 %), Escherichia (8.8 %), Edwardesilla spp.

(5.0 %), Hafnia (4.7 %) and Shigella (0.9%).

On the other hand, the 13 and 12 cultures which identified biochemically as Salmonellae from egg shell rinse and content samples resp.

failed to be identified serologically.