By Healthcare Facilities Today

According to a new study by the University Hospital of Geneva and the Food Control Authority of Geneva in Switzerland, 80 percent of raw chicken used in hospitals as food for patients and staff was contaminated with a form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria-producing E.coli. 

Correct preparation eliminated the presence of bacteria, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website, but poultry delivered to hospital kitchens remains a potential point of entry for these dangerous bacteria into the hospital.

“While a high proportion of chicken contaminated by antibiotic-resistant E.coli is a significant concern, robust food-safety measures taken by hospital kitchen staff are able to prevent the spread of these pathogens and minimize risk to food handlers, staff and patients,” said the study, published in the April issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

The researchers also looked at how food impacts the health of food handlers, healthcare workers and patients. They found six of 93 food handlers were bacteria carriers, but overall were no more likely to be colonized than the Swiss population.

Read the article.