SUMMARY The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bacterial quality of chicken (n = 96) and turkey (n = 96) marketed in Casablanca, Morocco. Poultry samples (n = 192) were collected randomly from traditional shops and supermarkets during 2 sampling periods (hot and cold seasons). The samples were analyzed for the presence and counts of various bacteria. Results indicated that aerobic plate counts and fecal coliforms were particularly high in all the samples analyzed. Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes were detected, respectively, in 48.4, 10.4, 7.2, 1.6, and 0.5% of the poultry meat samples. The chicken and turkey samples contained, respectively, 25 and 33.3% of bacteria above the maximum limits established by the Moroccan regulatory standards. The highest bacterial counts in poultry meat product samples were recorded with the traditional slaughtering process during the hot season (P < 0.05). These high levels of microbial contamination and occurrence of pathogenic bacteria reflect the poor hygienic quality of poultry meat under these conditions.
