Prevalence of E.coli 0157

Food borne illness is a major problem in developing countries like Pakistan. The food borne illness is largely due to the undercooked meat of the fast food. In the present study a total of 50 cooked chicken meat samples used as filling of shawarma were examined in triplicates for the presence of E. coli O157: H7. The majority of meat samples from shawarma were contaminated with E. coli O157: H7. Significant differences in E. coli O157: H7 contamination rates were observed for samples from 19 different areas. The mean difference is significant at level of 0.05. When the areas were compared for E. coli contamination in shawarma meat samples linked road food outlet B had Highest contamination i.e. 41.33x103c.f.u/g whereas Wapda town food outlet had the least contamination i.e. 0.20x103cfu/gm. Our finding revealed that semi cooked meat is potential vehicle for transmitting foodborne diseases and disease could be controlled by increased implementation of food handling and by properly cooking it, Therefore, minimizing the foodborne outbreaks.