Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2022 Apr 6;17(4):e0259478. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259478. eCollection 2022.
In-home pet food handling and food dish hygiene practices can have adverse health impacts for both humans and pets. Safe food and dish handling guidelines are not easily evidenced for pet owners. The study was designed to investigate dog owners' feeding habits and evaluate the impact of the Food and Drug Association (FDA) hygiene protocols on dog food dish contamination. Procedures and surveys were approved by North Carolina State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and Institutional Review Board. Pet feeding and food dish hygiene data were collected from 417 dog owner surveys and 68 food dish swabs. Total aerobic plate counts (APC) were performed on 68 dishes and randomly assigned into Group A (FDA pet food handling and dish hygiene guidelines), Group B (FDA pet and human food handling and dish hygiene guidelines), or Group C (no guidelines). Hygiene protocols were instituted in-home for 1 week, followed by a second APC and follow-up survey. Survey from dog owners-households indicated: 4.7% were aware of FDA pet food handling and dish hygiene guidelines; 36% have individuals ≤ 13 years old and/or immunocompromised; 43% stored dog food 0-5 feet from human food; 34% washed their hands after feeding; and 33% prepared their dog food on human food preparation surfaces. The hygiene protocols followed by Groups A and B resulted in significant decreases in food dish APC (p<0.001; 1.4; (0.9, 2.0); p<0.05; 0.604 (0.02, 1.2), respectively), as compared to Group C (p≥0.05). Hot water (>160° F or 71.1°C) washing decreased APC (p<0.01; 1.5 (0.4, 2.6)) over cold/lukewarm water. In the follow-up survey, 8% of Group A and B respondents reported likely to adhere to protocols long-term. This study suggests a need for pet food handling and dish hygiene guideline education to minimize bacterial contamination of dishes, especially for high-risk populations.
家庭宠物食品处理和食具卫生习惯可能对人类和宠物的健康都有不良影响。宠物主人很难找到安全的食品和食具处理指南。本研究旨在调查狗主人的喂养习惯，并评估食品和药物管理局（FDA）卫生规程对狗食盘污染的影响。该程序和调查得到了北卡罗来纳州立大学机构动物护理和使用委员会和机构审查委员会的批准。从 417 份狗主人调查和 68 份食具拭子中收集了宠物喂养和食具卫生数据。对 68 个盘子进行了总需氧平板计数（APC），并随机分为 A 组（FDA 宠物食品处理和食具卫生指南）、B 组（FDA 宠物和人类食品处理和食具卫生指南）或 C 组（无指南）。在家中实施卫生规程 1 周，然后进行第二次 APC 和随访调查。来自狗主人家庭的调查显示：4.7%的人知道 FDA 宠物食品处理和食具卫生指南；36%有 13 岁以下和/或免疫功能低下的人；43%将狗食储存在离人类食物 0-5 英尺的地方；34%在喂食后洗手；33%在人类食物准备表面准备狗食。与 C 组相比（p≥0.05），A 组和 B 组遵循的卫生规程可显著降低食具 APC（p<0.001；1.4；（0.9，2.0）；p<0.05；0.604（0.02，1.2））（p<0.01；1.5（0.4，2.6））。在随访调查中，8%的 A 组和 B 组受访者表示可能长期遵守这些方案。本研究表明，需要对宠物食品处理和食具卫生指南进行教育，以最大程度地减少食具的细菌污染，特别是针对高风险人群。
