Microbiological quality of 86 retail samples of poultry meat from N. Italy was determined. Samples were tested for total count, Escherichia coli, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, salmonellae, Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. 10.6% of samples contained L. monocytogenes, 47.6% contained Salmonella spp. and 25.5% contained Campylobacter spp. Counts of other bacteria were too low to present a health hazard. The presence of pathogenic bacteria in these poultry meat samples does not present a significant health hazard, as they would be eliminated by cooking.
