Abstract

Melese Abate Reta and Addisu Hailu Addis

Milk has an outstanding nutritional quality but it is also an excellent medium for bacterial growth and an important source of bacterial infection when consumed without pasteurization. Microbial contamination might generally occur from within the udder, exterior to the udder and from the surface of milk handling and storage equipment. Raw milk collection and its transportation to the processing centers present a number of technical, economical and organizational problems in most developing countries. Hygienic quality control of raw milk and milk products in Ethiopia is not usually conducted on routine basis. Some of the disease causing bacteria in the milk are Salmonella spp., M. bovis, Corynebacterium spp., C. perfringens, Yersinia enterocolitica, Coxiella burnetii, Brucella, Staphylococcus spp., Campylobacter jejuni, M. avium, Listeria spp., E. coli, and other coliforms. Many bacteria could get an easy access to milk and milk products such as E. coli, coliform and they are often used as indicator organisms to confirm the bacterial contamination of milk. The higher total bacterial counts and isolation rates of some public health important pathogens were observed in these literatures conducted in different study areas of the country and the consumption of raw/unpasteurized milk carries an important public health risk.