Recovery of Coliphages from Chicken, Pork Sausage and Delicatessen Meats.

Coliphages were recovered from 18 of 18 fresh chicken and pork sausage samples as well as from 2 of 6 processed delicatessen meat samples employing a rapid technique using EC medium as both an eluent and as a modified phage assay plating medium. Coliphage recoveries ranged from approximately 3.3 to 4.4 log, 1.2 to 3.5 log and zero to 2.7 log plaque forming units per 100 g in fresh chicken, fresh pork sausage and roast turkey breast, respectively. High coliphage levels generally reflected high fecal coliform counts, particularly for fresh meat samples. These data indicate that coliphages can be readily enumerated in foods within 16 h.