Material and methods
Samples
Thirty individual retail outlets located in Main Saddar Market, a district south of Karachi, Pakistan, were randomly selected for the study. A total of 340 meat and surface samples were collected. Out of the 340 samples, 250 were retail meat samples including meat (n = 145), lungs (n = 30), spleen (n = 30), and mucosal surfaces of intestinal tissue free from fecal material (n = 45). Samples were collected within 12 hours post-slaughter and during early afternoons, in order to minimize the microbial changes due to environmental temperatures and post-slaughter timings. Approximately eight samples were collected from each outlet. Ninety environmental samples were collected comprising surface swabs taken from 15-20cm2 of the surface of meat-cutting equipment such as knives, wooden boards, weigh scales and meat mincers and from the surrounding environment with a surface area of 30cm2 as shown in Table 1. From two to five surface swabs were collected from each outlet. Collection was dependent on the size of the premises as well as on the cooperation of the shop owners. Butchers working in these outlets lack knowledge regarding the importance of disinfecting and sanitizing; consequently, they clean their shops once in 24 hours with detergent and water. No sanitizer medium was used before sampling. Environmental samples were taken using sterile swabs in 3 ml of peptone water and transported to the laboratory within one hour, of collection, and processed within two hours