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. 2025 Apr 22;25(1):576.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-10977-5.

Health risk assessment of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella from the consumption of street foods in Ethiopia

Mathewos Moges  1 , Ernst Kristian Rodland  2 , Argaw Ambelu  3
Affiliations

Health risk assessment of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella from the consumption of street foods in Ethiopia

Mathewos Moges et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Introduction: Due to inadequate hygienic practices and improper handling, street foods may become contaminated, posing a significant risk for various foodborne diseases. This study aimed to determine the health risks to consumers from consuming street foods contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella.

Method: A cross-sectional study design was used from December 2022 to February 2023 on the street foods of Addis Ababa, Hawassa, Dire Dawa, and Jimma towns. A total of 525 street foods were taken from 175 street food vending stalls. A stratified sampling technique was used to select vending stalls. A questionnaire was used to collect the data which were analyzed via SPSS-25. Food samples were analyzed at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute food microbiology laboratory using the standard microbiological methods used for the isolation, enumeration, and identification of bacteria. A quantitative microbial risk assessment was used to assess and determine the risk of infection using a deterministic approach.

Result: The frequent, average, and occasional consumers of street foods were 26.9%, 52.6%, and 20.5% respectively. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus was 43.4% whereas 25.7% for Salmonella species. The risk of infection from S. aureus was higher than Salmonella. The mean annual risk of S aureus infection of consumers was 100%, 99%, and 93% for frequent, average, and occasional consumers respectively. A total of 32.6% of the sampled foods had greater than 104 CFU/g a colony count of Staphylococcus aureus whereas in 25.7% of the samples Salmonella exceeded the safety standards and made the food unfit for consumption.

Conclusion: The results highlighted the significant risk of infection with Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella in Ethiopian street foods, and revealed that frequent consumption of street foods was associated with a high risk of infection. This urges improved hygiene practices to mitigate hazards and protect public health.

Keywords: Salmonella; Staphylococcus aureus; Microbial risk assessment; Street food.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was conducted in agreement with the Declaration of Helsinki, the Ethical principle for medical research involving human subjects. Jimma University’s institutional review board has provided ethical clearance (JUIH/IRB/201/22) and Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Consent for publication: It is not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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