One hundred samples of Fresh cream and ice-cream, (50 each), collect ed from different localities in Cairo and Giza were bacteriologically examined for detection, isolation and identification of coliforms.
All examined samples of fresh cream and 98% of ice-cream samples proved to contain coliform organisms, with a mean value (MPN/ml) of 6.39x10 and 3.67x10' respectively. Escherichia coli could be detect ed in 30% and 8.16% of examined fresh cream and ice-cream samples respectively. Enterobacter cloacae, Ent.agglumerans, Ent.aerogenes, could be detected in examined samples at various rates ranging from
6% to 40.82%, while Ent.sakazakii could be detected only in Fresh cream at lower percentages (4%). Citrobacter freundii, Cit.diversus, Cit.amalanaticus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Kopneumoniae, Kozoenae, and K.chinoscleromatis could be detected in examined samples at various rates ranging from 2% to 34.69%. Serological typing of isolated 14 E.coli strains proved to belong to five different serotypes: 026 : KGO : B6, 0111: K58 : B22 0112 : K 66: B17: 0125 : K70: 515 and 0128 K67 : B12 The public health importance and economic significance of the isolated organisms as well as suggested control measures for improving the quality of the products have been discussed