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Page No. : 79-82

ABSTRACT

The present investigation was carried out to study the incidence of bacterial contamination and occurrence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella species in some selected street-vended foods in Srinagar, Kashmir. The overall incidence of contamination was found to be 82.22%. Hundred per cent contaminations were found in chicken and mutton barbeque followed by 91.66% in mutton rista and 83.33% in chicken ball and ice-cream. Barfi, chicken roll and paneer pakoda were found contaminated at the level of 75.0%, 66.66% and 58.33%, respectively. The overall incidence of contamination in environmental sample was 87.5% with 100% contamination of the hands of food handlers and 75% of serving plates. A total 56 (46.67%) E. coli isolates were recovered and only 03 (2.5%) Salmonella spp. Chicken barbeque, mutton rista and chicken ball were found contaminated more with E. coli.
Salmonella spp. could be isolated only from chicken roll (01), chicken barbeque (01) and ice-cream (01). Isolates of E. coli showed sensitivity towards ciprofloxacin (66.07%), ofloxacin (62.50%) and levofloxacin (57.14%), and Salmonella isolates showed sensitivity towards only chloramphenicol (66.66%) and tetracycline (66.67%). The
study concludes that meat and milk products are contaminated commonly with E. coli and Salmonellla spp. posing serious concern.

Keywords: E. coli, microbial contamination, Salmonella spp, street-food.