Abstract

120 faecal samples of cattle, sheep and camel (40 samples of each) half of which was taken during the winter, while the other half in summer time from anim-als slaughtered in Assiut Abattoir. The collected sa-mples were transferred to the laboratory cit3) L mini-mum of delay, to be examined as follows :-
1. Tot al mould Co ,..1.nt :
The method recommended by Abdel-Rahnan (1981), and Klare (1971) , was applied by using acidified Malt-extract agar and Czarek-Dox-NaC1 agar media, incubated at 25°C for 7 days. Plates showing mould colonies from
20 - 200 we re chosen and counted. The total mould comet/ c.T.S. faeces was calculated and recorded.
2.Suspected mould colonies weTe isolated from the cou-ntable plates onto slope Malt agar for identification.
3.Differential count of genus jIspergillus / g. T. S. faeces was calculated and recorded.
^.
L. Cattle :
The total mould count in winter ranged from about 2000 to 400 ,000 with a mean value of about 80 1000 , while in summer these value ranged from 110,000 to 4 millions with a mean value of l.2 million, 9 mould genera could be is olated in wint er and summer in which 1,spergillus
Mucor, Lbs id ia Rhiz opus , Geotrichum, Clado- sporium, Fuzazi.u.m, Alt ernaris. and Pithonwces with the fob. flowing percentages ; ( 44. 6`/6 , 59.7) ; (3o.3% — 10.0//) ;
(5.5% — 7.5%) ; (5.4% — 7.8%) ; (4.3(/‘; — 3. 6%) ; (2.6o
5. 82,;) ; ( 2. lip — 0 9i,;) ; ( 3. 6`10 — 0,24; ) ; (1.6i Ocio) and (0 — 3 . 4`4,) respectively.
The following 10 aspergillus species co uld be id ent if ied ; A. nicer ( V. Tieghem) ; A. terre us ; A. flavus Link; A. f lave e var. co lumnetris ; A. paras it icus ; A. oryzae , A. nidulans ( Eidom) wint ; A. amstelodami; A. f um-iga tus pre sinus ; A. sydowi; A. cand id us and A. ruber
co uld be isolated in the following percent ages in winter and s amine r ; (24.9 — 42/) ; ( 27. ax, 320;-x) ; (12.4% —
13 . 2;.,) ; ( 4. 9 iL — 6.1% ) ; (0 , 4.50 ) ; (3.7, 70), ( 12.8
— 4.2 ii)) ; (3.3 — 5.8% ) ; (9.6 — 6.2%), (0.4, 0 (k) ; (0.2% — 6.1/0) and (0 , 1.7,4 re s; ectively. b. Sheep r
The total mould count ranged from 4500 to 625,000 with a mean value of about 140,000 while in summer ranged from 35,500 to 17 millions with a mean value of 2.3 mill-ions. 9 mould genera could be isolated in winter and s-summer in which the genus Aspergillus (32.7% - 56.2%) ; Penicillium (30.1io 14.4/o) ; Mucor (a/o - 7.6r0); Absidia (15`ic; - 5. 9/0) ; Rhizopu.s (2.4% - 5.3%) ; Geotrichum ( 7. 5%
- 4.4io) ; Cladosporiwn (1.510 - 1.2/0) ; Fuzarium (2.V -2.1%) ; Pithomyces could be isolated only in the summer with ( 2. 9/, ) .
The following 7 Aspergillus ppecies could be iso-lated in winter and suranpr, A. niger (44.1% - 32.1`):,)A. terreus V. Tieghem (25.8; - 13.5>” ) ; A. flavus link (14.9% - 13.7, ) ; A. flavus var. columaris - 20.2%) ; A.
nidulans (Eidom) wint (0.8% - 0.6% ) amstel oaami (3.5%
- 5.6,0) and A sydowi (1.5%- ) ; while A. oryzae, A. chevalieri and A. ruber isolated only durin4:, the winter period with the following percentages (8.9A (1.7%) and
(7.8/4 while A. parasiticus, furnigatus fres. isolated, only during the summer period with the following percentage of: (4/ ) and (6.7/0) resiectively. c. Camels
The total mould count of the examined samples in winter was ranged from about 3000 to 3009000 with a mean value of about 95,000 while in summer ranged from 84,000 to 6.3 millions with a mean value of about 1 million. 9 mould genera could be isolated in winter and summer periods with the following percentages :
Aspergillus (41% - 51.72) ; I’enicillium (21.3 - lax)) ; Mucor (3 - 7.4%) ; Absielia (16.8 - 6.3 ); Rhizopus (1 - 6.7 ; Geotrichum (3.7 - 3.7i)) ;
Llternaria: (0.7 - 2 .2;,) ; Faecilomyces (1..4 - 3.9i) and unidentified genera (0.1 io - 0.2;) while Cladosporium and Pu.zari urn could be isolated only in the winter period with percentage of (2.8A and (3.2’) respectively.
The following 8 Asp. species could be isolated in winter and suinme2_- with the followin.g. percentage of A. niter V. Tieghem (30.8(i; 38,7); A. terreus 13.3`A) ;
flavus link (12 .7k— 16.7A ; flayus varcolumnaris
(15.1/0 - a/o) ; 1)Li.YE.:Elit ICUS (2.3X, - 2.7(7,) ; A. oryzae
(10.1 - 2/0), nidulans - 3.8/, ) b.11(.1 A. candidus
(4.2;o - 3.4) I while A. fumigitus Pres. ar_d ornatus isolated only during the winter .1.:eriod with the follov,Ting percentage ( Zo) and (3.3/0) while A. ar_istela.dami; A.
sydowi and A. versicolor Tiraboschi iso fated only d urine the summer period with the percentage of (3. 9(/ ) ; ( 4.16) and (3. 4/0) respectively.
It was f wand that the cont ents of the int estinal tri.,ct of the slaughtered animals were considered as a major so urce of mould contamination of fresh meat and later on meat products. The metheds recommended to avoid such contamination were also discussed.