vendors sampled may be attributed to the
clean environment in which they operate
and the presence of toilet facilities, running
water and hand washing facilities within the
vending site. However, in the other vending
sites (roofed and open air) sampled, running
water and toilet facilities are not readily
available; vendors are forced to use secluded
areas in place of a public toilet. Often
the vendors are not able to wash their
hands properly afterwards. Such conditions
and practices are likely to lead to crosscontamination
of cooked foods (Dawson
and Canet, 1991; Ekanem, 1998). Some of
the microorganisms isolated from the palms
of food handlers in this study were resident
microorganisms on the skin while the others
were transients. Resident microorganisms
are considered as permanent inhabitants
of the skin of most people and are
found on the superficial skin surface
(epidermis). They include the coagulasenegative
staphylococci; members of the
Corynebacterium, Propionibacterium, and Acinetobacter
species; and certain members of the
Enterobacteriaceae family. Corynebacteria and
oxygen-requiring coagulase-negative staphylococci
comprise the majority of the resident
microflora (Garner and Favero, 1986).
Types and numbers of resident microorganisms
vary from individual to individual, and
in different regions of the body. Most resident
microflora do not cause food borne
illness.