Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences1028-88801812-5735Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/pjbs.2010.143.147RattanasenaPaweena SomboonwatthanakulIssaraporn 32010133This study aims to examine the pathogenic bacterial contaminations in foods sold in hospital cafeteria. A study was conducted between April and September of 2008 using cafeteria located in Mahasarakham provincial hospital, Thailand, as a study area. The cafeteria foods were evaluated for contaminations with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Streptococcus faecalis, which have been earlier reported to cause nosocomial outbreaks. Of 33 different types of ready-to-eat foods, the majority (54.54%) were found to have bacteria >107 colony forming units per gram of food (cfu g-1), whereas 36.36% and only 9.10% of them were found to have bacteria at 106-107 and <106 cfu g-1, respectively. In addition, most of ready-to-eat foods were also shown to be contaminated with Escherichia coli (57.57%), followed by Streptococcus faecalis (51.51%), Staphylococcus aureus (48.48%) and Salmonella typhimurium (27.27%), respectively. In contrast, of 7 different types of freshly-made foods, the majority (71.42%) were found to have bacterial <106 cfu g-1. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly found bacteria in freshly-made foods (42.85%), followed by Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis at equal percentages (14.28%). None of the freshly-made foods were found to be contaminated with Streptococcus typhimurium. The results concluded that a number of ready-to-eat foods sold in the Mahasarakham hospital cafeteria were contaminated with several pathogenic bacteria at unacceptable levels. Healthcare authorities should be more aware that ready-to-eat cafeteria foods that are heavily contaminated with pathogenic bacteria may be harmful to healthcare workers and visitors and may result in nosocomial infections of the patients.]]>Allegranzi, B. and D. Pittet,200973305315Arabi, Y., N. Al-Shirawi, Z. Memish and A. Anzueto,200812505512Ben-David, D., L.A. Mermel and S. Parenteau,2008369397Brady, R.R., J. Verran, N.N. Damani and A.P. Gibb,200971295300Buachum, S., P. Soparat, S. Yimyaem, T. Jariyasethpong and S. Danchaivijitr,200510124127Cevik, M.A., G.R. Yilmaz, F.S. Erdinc, S. Ucler and N.E. Tulek,200559324330Dancer, S.J., L.F. White, J. Lamb, E.K. Girvan and C. Robertson,200972828Dancer, S.J.,2010741015Danchaivijitr, S., S. Assanasen, M. Trakuldis, S. Waitayapiches and S. Santiprasitkul,2005107074Danchaivijitr, S., C. Dhiraputra, S. Santiprasitkul and T. Judaeng,20058819Danchaivijitr, S., T. Judeang, S. Sripalakij, K. Naksawas and T. Pilpat,20079015241529De Vries, J.J., W.H. Baas, K. van der Ploeg, A. Heesink, J.E. Degener and J.P. Arends,2006Serratia marcescens colonization and infection traced to a healthcare worker with long-term carriage on the hands.]]>2711531158Dhiraputra, C., C. Tiensasitorn, W. Techachaiwiwat, N. Jirapanakorn, K. Kachintorn and S. Danchaivijitr,2005104248Eckmanns, T., M. Oppert, M. Martin, R. Amorosa and I. Zuschneid et al.,2008Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection caused by contaminated bottled water in intensive care units.]]>14454458Elward, A.M., C.S. Hollenbeak, D.K. Warren and V.J. Fraser,2005115868872Garcia-Martin, M., P. Lardelli-Claret, J.J. Jimenez-Moleon, A. Bueno-Cavanillas, J.D.D. Luna-del-Castillo and R. Galvez-Vargas,200122708714Graham, J.C., S. Lanser, G. Bignardi, S. Pedler and V. Hollyoak,200251136139Groeneveld, A.B.J.,2009373542Hassan, I., G. Powell, M. Sidhu, W.M. Hart and D.W. Denning,200959360365Johnson, J.R., C. Clabots, M. Azar, D.J. Boxrud, J.M. Besser and J.R. Thurn,20013934523460Kayabas, U., M. Bayraktar, B. Otlu, M. Ugras, Y. Ersoy, Y. Bayindir and R. Durmaz,2008Pseudomonas aeruginosa because of inadequate disinfection procedures in a urology unit: A pulsedfield gel electrophoresis-based epidemiologic study.]]>363338Laupland, K.B., H. Lee, D.B. Gregson and B.J. Manns,200663124132Luksamijarulkul, P., N. Parikumsil, V. Poomsuwan and W. Konkeaw,2006898189Lund, B.M. and S.J. O'Brien,200973109120Macias, A.E. and S. Ponce-de-Leon,200536637645Metz, R., B. Jahn, W. Kohnen, A. Viertel and B. Jansen,2001Salmonella Enteritidis gastrointestinal infections among medical staff due to contaminated food prepared outside the hospital.]]>48324325O'Brien, S.J., P.S. Murdoch, A.H. Riley, I. King and M. Barr et al.,2001Escherichia coli O157: H-phage type 8 in hospital.]]>49167172Occelli, P., M. Blanie, R. Sanchez, D. Vigier and O. Dauwalder et al.,200767264270Pancharti, P., N. Leksawas, K. Sukamwang, W. Tantisiriwat and S. Danchaivijitr,2005108385Patarakul, K., A. Tan-Khum, S. Kanha, D. Padungpean and O.O. Jaichaiyapum,20054287293Ryan, K.J.,19941994pp: 890pp: 890Shetty, A., J. McLauchlin, K. Grant, D. O'Brien, T. Howard and E.M. Davies,2009Listeria monocytogenes in an oncology unit associated with sandwiches consumed in hospital.]]>72332336Tantracheewathorn, T., N. Vititpatarapak and U. Phumisantiphong,200790258265Tolba, O., A. Loughrey, C.E. Goldsmith, B.C. Millar, P.J. Rooney and J.E. Moore,2007Staphylococcus aureus on coins.]]>35342346Wellinghausen, N., C. Frost and R. Marre,20016739853993Winter, C.H., S.O. Brockmann, S.R. Sonnentag, T. Schaupp and R. Prager et al.,200973121128