Surface borne microorganisms
In our homes there are surfaces such as kitchen counters, space around the sink, and bathroom tiles, which may become favorable environments for many different kinds of microorganisms. They rapidly colonize surfaces that have enough moisture and minimal amounts of organic substrate such as food or food residues. These microbes can be found in every household even in those with perfect housekeeping practice.
In an investigation of domestic environments, Finch et al. (1978) found that bacteria belonging to Enterobacteriaceae, were the source of contamination of dish cloths in 45-50% of examined homes. Speirs et al. (1995) also confirmed that domestic kitchens frequently harbor the enteric bacteria, which are the most common agents of different intestinal food borne diseases. They found that the domestic kitchens harbor
bacterial species such as Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Esherichia coli, etc., however, they also pointed out that food poisoning bacteria were seldom detected.
Besides enetric bacteria in domestic environment, there are reports on the other bacteria, which might represent a threat to the human health. Baumer et al. (1996) reported that Listeria species, which are associated with outbreaks of human food borne illnesses, were detected in 47% investigated homes. The Listeria isolates were most often found in the dishcloths (34%) and surface samples around the drain in the bathroom (27%).
Using unclean cutting board is a main source of cross-contamination of foods in kitchen. There was a belief that the use of plastic boards is safer due to the easier cleaning, however, Ak et al (1994) showed that bacteria are more persistent on moist plastic boards than on wooden ones. This is especially true for the used plastic boards that contain extensive knife scars. Wooden boards tend to absorb the contaminants, which cannot be recovered within 3 to 10 min. In any case, cutting boards, either plastic or wooden need to be cleaned regularly with hot water and detergent.
One of the most important ways to prevent the spread of bacteria is the proper hand washing. Nevertheless, bar soaps can actually provide a source of bacterial spread. Brook and Brook (1993) found that the bar soaps that are frequently used and kept wet, regardless of brand of soaps, contained considerable number of bacteria such as Staphylococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Proteus sp., It should be taken into consideration that sharing the bar soap in a household or community contributes to the spread of bacteria, therefore, whenever possible a liquid soap should be used.
In our homes there are surfaces such as kitchen counters, space around the sink, and bathroom tiles, which may become favorable environments for many different kinds of microorganisms. They rapidly colonize surfaces that have enough moisture and minimal amounts of organic substrate such as food or food residues. These microbes can be found in every household even in those with perfect housekeeping practice.
In an investigation of domestic environments, Finch et al. (1978) found that bacteria belonging to Enterobacteriaceae, were the source of contamination of dish cloths in 45-50% of examined homes. Speirs et al. (1995) also confirmed that domestic kitchens frequently harbor the enteric bacteria, which are the most common agents of different intestinal food borne diseases. They found that the domestic kitchens harbor
bacterial species such as Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Esherichia coli, etc., however, they also pointed out that food poisoning bacteria were seldom detected.
Besides enetric bacteria in domestic environment, there are reports on the other bacteria, which might represent a threat to the human health. Baumer et al. (1996) reported that Listeria species, which are associated with outbreaks of human food borne illnesses, were detected in 47% investigated homes. The Listeria isolates were most often found in the dishcloths (34%) and surface samples around the drain in the bathroom (27%).
Using unclean cutting board is a main source of cross-contamination of foods in kitchen. There was a belief that the use of plastic boards is safer due to the easier cleaning, however, Ak et al (1994) showed that bacteria are more persistent on moist plastic boards than on wooden ones. This is especially true for the used plastic boards that contain extensive knife scars. Wooden boards tend to absorb the contaminants, which cannot be recovered within 3 to 10 min. In any case, cutting boards, either plastic or wooden need to be cleaned regularly with hot water and detergent.
One of the most important ways to prevent the spread of bacteria is the proper hand washing. Nevertheless, bar soaps can actually provide a source of bacterial spread. Brook and Brook (1993) found that the bar soaps that are frequently used and kept wet, regardless of brand of soaps, contained considerable number of bacteria such as Staphylococcus sp., Escherichia coli, Proteus sp., It should be taken into consideration that sharing the bar soap in a household or community contributes to the spread of bacteria, therefore, whenever possible a liquid soap should be used.