Microbial contamination of fish, meat and meat products in Zimbabwe

The aim of the research was to assess the microbiological load of chicken, minced meat and sausages sold on the informal markets in Harare, Zimbabwe. The analysis was based on determining the microbiological content of chicken, minced meat and sausage samples. Samples were collected from three different locations namely Mufakose, Machipisa and Mbare. . Ready-to-eat foods like meat pies are susceptible to microbial contamination and street vended foods has become a global health problem. To assess enteric bacteria contamination of meat pies made in homes and industry in Harare, between November 2017 and February 2018, a total of 48 pies were examined. The number of infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria is rising worldwide. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are found in most environments, especially in highly anthropized waters. Therefore, fish are potential disseminators of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The above necessitated conducting a susceptibility test of bacteria isolated from 36 fish samples from informal market in Mufakose, Harare.