Bacteria contamination analysis on the hands and bowls of meatball cart vendors: an observational descriptive study

Objective: To describe the presence of bacteria at the seller's hand of meatball vendors and cart meatball bowls. Method: This is a descriptive study with an observational approach. Thirty mobile meatball vendors were recruited as participants. Therefore, the bacterias from bowls and hands were taken by swab sampling. The number of bacterias were obtained using total plate count method by means of nutrient agar. Bacteria types were identified using Gram staining method and bacteria assay. Results: The hands and bowls swab samples were positive for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in all cases. These microorganisms include Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Klebsiella sp., Alcaligenes faecalis, Enterobacter aglomereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Serratia rubidaea, Yersinia enterocolitica, E. aerogenes, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Conclusions: Some types of bacterias were present in cart meatball bowls and the sellers’ hands. This phenomenon is affiliated with the emergence of food-borne diseases for the consumers.