Food safety knowledge and practices among raw meat handlers and the microbial content of raw meat sold at Kumasi Abattoir Butchery Shops in Kumasi, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Foodborne diseases affect nearly 600 million people each year, that is, one in every ten people, and their outbreaks are most common in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa. This study investigated the food safety practices among raw meat handlers and the microbial quality of the meat from the butchery shops in Kumasi Abattoir, Ghana. METHODS: This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study and collected quantitative data on factors associated with food safety and hygienic practices among raw meat handlers and the microbial quality of the raw meat using a structured questionnaire and standard laboratory methods, respectively. The study used all 50 beef vending shops in the butchery for questionnaire aspect and fresh beef samples were obtained from 10 vendors in the butchery shop. Appropriate methods were followed to analyse questionnaire data and meat samples. RESULTS: Most of the butchers (72%) were between the ages of 31 and 45, and they were predominantly Muslims (68%). Most of the respondents (48%) had basic education. All the respondents had food safety certificates from the local authority but needed adequate knowledge of meat safety. Most respondents (90%) handled meat and money with the same bare hands, thus contaminating the meat. The study showed that the maximum Total Viable Count (TVC), Total Staphylococcus Count (TSC), and Total Escherichia coli Count (TEC) were 5.60, 4.39 and 5.13 cfu/g, respectively. The study also revealed that all the meat samples were Salmonella species-free. CONCLUSIONS: Microorganisms in raw beef indicate a public health hazard. It gives a signal of a possible occurrence of food-borne intoxication and infection if not controlled. Environmental health officers in the Greater Kumasi area should organize food safety training and educate raw meat handlers on the importance of food safety and its consequences.

Relationship between temperature and Anopheles gambiae sensu lato mosquitoes' susceptibility to pyrethroids and expression of metabolic enzymes.

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains one of the most devastating diseases globally, and the control of mosquitoes as the vector is mainly dependent on chemical insecticides. Elevated temperatures associated with future warmer climates could affect mosquitoes' metabolic enzyme expression and increase insecticide resistance, making vector control difficult. Understanding how mosquito rearing temperatures influence their susceptibility to insecticide and expression of metabolic enzymes could aid in the development of novel tools and strategies to control mosquitoes in a future warmer climate. This study evaluated the effects of temperature on the susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) mosquitoes to pyrethroids and their expression of metabolic enzymes. METHODS: Anopheles gambiae s.l. eggs obtained from laboratory-established colonies were reared under eight temperature regimes (25, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40 °C). Upon adult emergence, 3- to 5-day-old female non-blood-fed mosquitoes were used for susceptibility tests following the World Health Organization (WHO) bioassay protocol. Batches of 20-25 mosquitoes from each temperature regime (25-34 °C) were exposed to two pyrethroid insecticides (0.75% permethrin and 0.05% deltamethrin). In addition, the levels of four metabolic enzymes (α-esterase, ß-esterase, glutathione S-transferase [GST], and mixed-function oxidase [MFO]) were examined in mosquitoes that were not exposed and those that were exposed to pyrethroids. RESULTS: Mortality in An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes exposed to deltamethrin and permethrin decreased at temperatures above 28 °C. In addition, mosquitoes reared at higher temperatures were more resistant and had more elevated enzyme levels than those raised at low temperatures. Overall, mosquitoes that survived after being exposed to pyrethroids had higher levels of metabolic enzymes than those that were not exposed to pyrethroids. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that elevated temperatures decreased An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes' susceptibility to pyrethroids and increased the expression of metabolic enzymes. This evidence suggests that elevated temperatures projected in a future warmer climate could increase mosquitoes' resistance to insecticides and complicate malaria vector control measures. This study therefore provides vital information, and suggests useful areas of future research, on the effects of temperature variability on mosquitoes that could guide vector control measures in a future warmer climate.