Escherichia coli O157 IN DAIRY PRODUCTS FROM RETAILERS AND SMALL DAIRY SHOPS

Twenty-five samples of each of raw milk, UHT milks, dried milk, yoghurt, Kariesh cheese, Fetta cheese and Domiatti cheese, were collected from small shops, retailer venders and factories made in Giza, Beni-Suef Governorates markets, and tested for the presence of E.coli O157:H7. Raw milk, Kariesh cheese, Fetta cheese and yoghurt obtained from small shops and retailer venders showed high rate of contamination. Forty-four percent of raw milk samples were found to be contaminated. Kariesh cheese from factories or small shops were also contaminated. Its contamination reached up to 72%. Fetta cheese samples from small shops contained up to 24% contamination. Even 12% of yoghurt samples being obtained from small shops were found to be contaminated with12%. On the other hand, UHT milk and dried milk samples were completely free of the contamination.