Abstract
We examined 645 composts for prevalence of Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O-157, which are typical bacteria to cause food poisoning. To activate these bacteria, which were damaged by composting process, the compost samples were incubated with the buffered peptone water at 37°C for 18-24h before investigating by using selective media. Salmonella was isolated from 8 samples (1.2% in all samples) and the serotypes of isolated strains from 3 samples cause the serious problem regarding on public health. STEC O-157 was not detected in all samples. It was considered that the reason why the Salmonella strains were isolated was the treatment in the low temperature during the composting period or the contamination of the raw materials after the composting.
