Hi all!
I was wondering whether I can have the food handlers at our facility do a finger imprint on Plate Count Agar plates in order to see what the total count on their hands is, to determine the effectiveness of hand washing? Has anyone done this on PCA plates? Can I at the same time let them do a finger print on a plate of Violet Red Bile Glucose agar to check for the possible growth of any E.coli?
We have only recently opened our own laboratory - up until then all our tests were completed by an external laboratory. They used to supply the plates and the food handlers printed their hands directly onto the set plate. I would just like to know whether I can use PCA and VRBG agar for this?
I would only need an estimate - not a precise quantity of each organism present on each hand..
Any advice would be appreciated!
TIA :)
Anna