In the current study, a total of 100 random samples of raw meat products including; minced meat and beef burger (50 samples of each) were collected from different markets and butcher shops at Al Beida City, Libya. The collected samples were examined bacteriologically for detection of some pathogenic bacteria including; E. coli, Salmonella and Y. enterocolitica. The obtained results revealed that the overall incidence of Enteropathogenic E. coli in the examined samples of minced meat and beef burger was 12 and 24%, respectively with serological identification of serotypes O91:H21, O121:H7, O78, O124 and O44:H18 with various rates. In addition, the overall incidence of Salmonella spp. of minced meat and beef burger was 6 and 4%, respectively with detection of S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis and S. Inganda. Moreover, Y. enterocolitica was isolated with an incidence of 12 and 4%, in minced meat and beef burger, respectively. Finally, a molecular study on the obtained isolates of Salmonella was carried out. The recorded results in this study could be traced back to cross contamination occurred during slaughtering and transportation as well as handling during retailing in markets with absence of awareness about different sources of contamination and measures of personal hygiene of sellers. Finally, the public health hazard of the isolated bacteria as well as the recommended measures to lower these microorganisms in meat products and improve the quality of meat products was discussed.
Key words: Meat Products, E. coli, Salmonella, Y. enterocolitica
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