Analyzing Foodborne Pathogens in the Jeddah Region Statistically

Abstract

Foodborne pathogens are becoming a globally challenging health problem and are perceived as major health concerns in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Contamination results from unclean raw food materials and particles, the use of polluted water or contaminated containers, and unhygienic preparation processes. This research aimed to identify the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in food outlets such as restaurants, cafeterias, and cafés in the Jeddah region of Saudi Arabia and analyze the data collected by health inspectors to obtain useful statistics. These data will help us study the number of foodborne pathogen outbreaks in the Jeddah region, including the causative organisms, diseases, symptoms, and case numbers. This prevalence of foodborne pathogens was investigated in food places such as restaurants, cafeterias, and coffee shops. Food samples were collected from 235 locations, including meat products, dairy products, potatoes, sauces, vegetables (salads), and sweet foods. The isolates were detected using biochemical tests and API 20E. The results confirmed the presence of two types of foodborne pathogens in the food samples, namely Escherichia coli and Salmonella bacteria. The largest percentage of food samples were infected with E. coli (84.7%). The remaining percentage of food samples were infected with Salmonella (15.3%).