A Method of Surveillance for Bacteria on the Shell of Turkey Eggs

Abstract

The sterile adhesive tape procedure for estimating the bacterial population on the surface of turkey eggs was established. A total of 484 eggs were sampled with 1.8 cm X 1.6 cm sterile tapes on a dispenser; two, three, or five impressions were made on agar plates, and the number of organisms on the eggshell was calculated. It was shown that two, three, or five taping impressions were equally adequate for estimating the total number of bacteria on the eggshell. This method was also used to establish that sanitizing eggs with a quarternary ammonium compound was more effective than formaldehyde gas fumigation. The total bacterial count using the taping technique was on the average lower than the complete wash technique. By regressing the log total bacterial count by the wash method on log total bacterial count by the taping method, a more accurate measurement was obtained.