Characterization of Bacteriophages as Indicators of Bacterial Contamination in Marketed Leafy Vegetables from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

This paper presents the results of the evaluation of bacteriophage detection as a Rapid Indicator of contamination of leafy vegetables in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In this study analyzed a variety of leafy vegetables and collected randomly from local markets. The types of equipment generally available for microbiological analysis, to detect the presence of phage in supernatant, using the plaque assay methods. These results are observed highest rate of bacterial contamination from the packaged salad and were successfully isolated from vegetables juice. The highest rate of bacteriophage was detected during the spring and lowest rate during the winter. Plaques formed diameters were less than (1mm). This study indicates the likely bacterial contamination of plants irrigated with sewage water using bacteriophage as indicator.