ABSTRACT
With the objective of verifying the sanitary and higienic conditions of commercial eggs from several suppliers of the Descalvado region, state of São Paulo, 48 samples, with 30 eggs each, were evaluated in the period from 1/17/98 to12/28/98. The Escherichia, Enterobacter, Citrobacter and Klebsiella genuses, form the group coliform that split in 2 groups: total and fecal. The eggs were analysed at the Avian Pathology Laboratory of Descalvado and were aseptically manipulated and processed according to the specific bacteriological techniques for isolation and identification of these microorganisms. A 33.3% total coliform and 8.33% fecal coliform growth was obtained. These results indicate that it is necessary an improvement in manipulation and storage of these eggs, considering the standards for comparison in fresh eggs for these microorganisms according to the Sanitary Bureau of the Brazilian Ministery of Health.
KEY WORDS:
Poultry; coliforms; Escherichia coli; egg.