Importance of hygienic practice of retail meat workers and their impact on workers’ health and fungal contamination of frozen meat

This study was performed to detect the hygienic practice of retail meat workers during handling and processing of meat, as well as the health hazards caused by fungi to retail meat workers. In addition, the fungal contamination of frozen meat samples sold in different retail meat shops in Sohag Governorate. The results revealed that out of 49 workers; 16 (32.7 %) periodically washing their hands, 31 (63.3 %) not wearing gloves during handling and processing of meat, 38 (77.5 %) have the habit of continuous freezing and thawing of meat, 35 (71.4 %) workers were apparently healthy and 14 (28.6%) have hand lesions. Fusarium oxysporum was the most prominent fungal species detected in workers hands with percentage of 20.4%, while in frozen meat samples; Cladosporium cladosporioides represented the highest contamination rate with percentage of 26 %. Infection of retail meat workers and contamination of frozen meat with different fungi species was enhanced by improper hygienic practice of some retail meat workers.