Enterobacteriaceae associated with meats and meat handling.

The source of Enterobacteriaceae on meats was shown to be associated with the meat-handling work surfaces in two packing plants studies. A total of 2,343 Enterobacteriaceae were isolated and identified from meat samples and work surfaces at the packing plants and at the retail facilities. Escherichia coli biotype I and Serratia liquefaciens were detected at all stages of meat handling, indicating that they may be present in meats throughout the meat-handling system. Enterobacter agglomerans and S. liquefaciens were the predominant Enterobacteriaceae at the retail level, but they had limited indicator potential for sanitation and hygiene, Klebsiella pneumoniae was a frequent isolate among Enterobacteriaceae from meats and meat-handling surfaces in the packing plants but not at the retail level, indicating that this organism might signal unhygienic handling of meats at the retail level.