# Microbiological Contamination in Different Food Service Units Associated with Food Handling
[PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.F.A.) [PERSON]  
3 Public Health Laboratory of Braganca, Local Health Unit of the Northeast (ULSNE), 5300-146 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.F.A.) [PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.V.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.A.), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.F.A.) [PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.V.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.A.), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.F.A.) [PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.A.), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (C.V.)  
[PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ), [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.N. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.F.A.) [PERSON]  
3 Public Health Laboratory of Braganca, Local Health Unit of the Northeast (ULSNE), 5300-146 Braganca, Portugal; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
[PERSON]  
1 Supior School of Health of Braganca, Polytechnic Institute of Braganca (IPB), 5300-121 Braganca, Portugal; ana.fl.alves@alumos.jpb. surveillance of products provided by food service units has been an emergent issue in the field of public health. Microbiological contamination is one of the major challenges when food safety is under discussion. Indeed, the majority of foodborne illnesses has been associated with bacterial contaminants [3,4]. Certain groups, such as elderly, young children, pregnant women or immuno-compromised people, have a high risk of having food-related diseases that can lead to death, by pathogen mechanisms that take advantage of a weak immune system [2,3]. Some foodborne illnesses due to microbiological contamination are associated with poor handling practices during meal processing in food units or food service establishments [5]. Poor hygiene conditions to which food is exposed during processing, storage and distribution contribute to increasing foodborne risk [3]. In addition, cross-contamination is one of the main factors associated with microbiological food contamination before the final preparation step [3,5]. Cross-contamination due to the transfer of microorganisms from objects or surfaces to the food is an important issue. Indeed, a pathogenic microorganism can remain viable in cutting boards and food contact surfaces [6, 7, 8] demanding the rigorous cleaning and disinfection of kitchen utensils, equipment and surfaces [9,10]. Hands of food handlers have also been considered an important determinant of microbiological contamination of food and washing hands plays a valuable role in preventing the transmission of foodborne illnesses [4,11,12]. _Staphylococcus aureus_ colonizes the nasopharynx of asymptomatic carriers leading to the contamination of the hands of food handlers [13,14]. Antimicrobial resistant strains of _S. aureus_ have been detected in food [12,15,16] and foodborne outbreaks of _S. aureus_ have been related with post-process food contamination by the hands of food handlers [17]. The increasing concern about food safety and food quality demands the compulsory implementation of hygiene procedures to control the microbiological contamination of food in food units and food service establishments.