Detection, Isolation, and Identification of Bacterial and Fungi Types From Butcher Shops in Basrah, Southern Iraq

Background: retail butcher shops are a key element in the meat supply chain, and they can present serious public health threats when hygiene is not maintained properly. Raw meat is a nutritious environment that is easily colonized by bacteria and fungi, and can result in a widespread outbreak of food poisoning. Objectives: The objectives of the present study were to isolate, identify and characterize the bacterial and fungal species found in retail butcher shops of Basrah, southern Iraq and evaluating the environmental contamination and sanitary conditions of these shops.Methods: Aseptic laboratory culture of the samples was carried out at four retail outlets (AL-tanuma, AL-Madina, AL-jazirah and Al-zubair). Swabs were transferred onto Nutrient agar, Blood agar and non-autoclaved Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate (XLD) selective media and then incubated at 37°C for 24–48 hours. Isolation was performed and organisms were investigated using their colony morphology, Gram staining and diagnostic biochemical testing (indole, oxidase, catalase reactions). Conclusions: Four different types of microbial species were isolated from the butcher shops, namely Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and the fungal yeast Candida albicans in the food of the butcher shop in Basrah city, Al Kuwait province, and the role of the butcher shop in spreading these pathogens to food. This study aims at determining the prevalence and identification of some foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Candida albicans in the food of the butcher shop in Basrah city, Al Kuwait province, and the role of the butcher shop in spreading these pathogens to food.