Assessment of the Hygienic Quality of Meals Served in Hospital: Case of the Main Hospital of Dakar (Senegal)

Abstract

Hospitals have an optimal growth conditions for some germs, because of the high relative humidity and relatively high temperature. These germs, which are found in foods served in hospitals, could cause food poisoning in hospitalized patients. To help improve the hygienic quality of meals and to prevent risks related to social catering, we have chosen to conduct a study on the microbiological quality of meals served at the Main Hospital of Dakar. A total of 100 samples of hot meals were processed in the food microbiology laboratory of the Inter-State School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV) in Dakar. The following results were obtained: 56% of unsatisfactory samples, 40% are acceptable, 4% unsatisfactory, according to the microbiological criteria of the French Republic, which must satisfy certain animal or animal products. For the various flora sought, the percentages of samples exceeding the acceptability threshold are as follows: 10% for the total flora, 35% for the faecal coliforms, 1% for the sulfito-reducting anaerobes. Meals are fairly contaminated by fecal coliforms. It is therefore clear that the rate of bacterial contamination of meals is quite high, especially by fecal coliforms.