Microbiological hazard identification and exposure assessment of food prepared and served in rural households of Lungwena, Malawi

The presence of food-borne pathogens, Escherichia call O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella species, Campylobacter jejuni and non-pathogenic E coli, in 132 home cooked food samples consisting of maize flour porridge (MFP), (n=41), fish (n=37), vegetables (n=28), beans (n=13) and Others (n=13), collected from 6 villages in Lungwena, Malawi was investigated. It was found that 35% of the food samples were contaminated with one or more pathogens; with 48%, 8%, 61% and 23% of the food samples being found to harbour E. coli, pathogenic E coli O157: H7, S aureus and Salmonella species, respectively. C.jejuni was not detected in any food sample. Using a 95% level of significance, pathogen concentration among food categories demonstrated a statistical difference (p=0.001). Distribution of pathogens among villages was also found to be significant (p=0.03). MFP was the most contaminated food. Practices that promote the spread of the pathogens in the rural household kitchens were investigated. Food was thought to be contaminated as a result of poor food handling, preparation and storage practices. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.