PREVALENCE OF ENTEROCOCCUS SPECIES IN CHICKEN MEAT IN SHARKIA GOVERNORATE

A total of 175 samples of fresh chicken breast, chicken thigh, chicken liver, chicken gizzard, chicken heart, cloacal skin and neck skin (25for each) were randomly collected from different markets and poultry shops at variable sanitation levels in Zagazig city. All collected samples were immediately transferred in an icebox container, aseptically handled and moved promptly to postgraduate student laboratory, Food Control department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt. The bacteriological examination was applied for enumeration and isolation Enterococcus species.The enterococci detected in chicken samples within different percentages ranged from 15/25(60%) in chicken heart to 25/25(100%) in cloacal skin. The descending prevalence arranged cloacal skin > neck skin > gizzard > liver > thigh > breast > heart. The counts of enterococci ranged from 2.12 to 5.15, 3.19 to 5.64, 3.54 to 5.95, 3.68 to 6.32, 3.11 to 6.26, 4.82 to 6.3 and 3.24 to 6.7 with mean values 3.04 ±0.37, 3.47 ±0.48, 4.05 ±0.38, 4.15 ±0.41, 3.72 ±0.54, 5.03 ±0.13 and 4.8 ±0.25log 10 CFU/gin examined chicken breast, thigh, liver, gizzard, heart, cloacal skin and neck skin, respectively.