YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Healthcare and the Food Safety Inspection Agency released lab results of samples taken from the food, employees and patrons of Tashir Pizza, the restaurant where a mass food poisoning left nearly 180 people sickened and hospitalized.

14 out of 40 samples taken from surfaces at the restaurants were contaminated with Escherichia coli.

2 out of 24 bacteriological samples taken from employees tested positive for Salmonella enteritidis, while 9 out of 26 nasal swab samples tested positive for Staphylococcus.  

3 out of 16 samples taken from food showed contamination with Staphylococcus aureus (chicken meat), and Salmonella enteritidis (Caesar salad, sauce, marinated mushrooms, sausage, cooked mushroom, cheese etc.)

Salmonella enteritidis was discovered in multiple samples taken from feces of hospitalized patrons of the restaurants.

Moreover, cooked chicken meat and lettuce were contaminated with Escherichia coli, salmonella and Staphyloccocus aureus.

Ground beef was contaminated Listeria monocytogenes.

Food Safety Inspectorate agents are now conducting tests at the companies who supply Tashir Pizza with mayonnaise (Hayr Yev Vordi Avagyanner LLC) and chicken meat (Kurnikov LLC of Saratov).

Tashir Pizza shut down all its restaurants until further notice when the outbreak occurred last week.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan