Hailu, Melese (PhD)Teklebirhan,GebreabMekonnen, Hana2025-08-272025-08-272025https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/7158Background: Ready-to-consume fruit juices are highly valued for their nutritional benefits, however, pose significant public health risks due to microbial contamination caused by poor hygiene, improper handling, and inadequate sanitation practices, particularly in low-income countries like Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the bacteriological quality and associated factors of ready-to-consume fruit juices in Yeka sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2024, involving 189 juice samples collected from 63 local vendors. The plate count method was used to determine aerobic plate counts, total coliform, and thermotolerant coliform counts, while the spread plate method was used for Staphylococcus count on Mannitol Salt Agar. Escherichia coli detection involved transferring positive thermotolerant coliform samples to Nutrient broth, followed by confirmation using Kovacs reagent. For Salmonella and Shigella, Buffered Peptone Water and Rappaport Vassiliadis enrichment broths were used, with Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate Agar serving as the selective medium; pinkish colonies with black centers were confirmed through biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on Muller Hinton Agar for all bacterial isolates. Vendor hygiene practices were evaluated using structured questionnaires and checklists, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare medians among different juice types. Bivariate logistic regression and multiple logistic regression were applied to assess relationships between dependent and independent variables, with a p-value < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The analysis revealed that the median for aerobic colony Results: The analysis revealed that the median for aerobic colony count, total coliform, thermotolerant coliform, and staphylococcal count across all samples were 7.14 × 106 CFU/ml, 2.8 × 106 CFU/ml, 6.4 × 104 CFU/ml, and 2.2 × 103 CFU/ml, respectively. From a total of 189 samples, the pathogens identified included E. coli, which was found in 29.1% of cases, S. aureus in 45.5%, and Salmonella in 6.9%. The presence of hand washing facilities, frequency of hand washing, and the cleaning agents used were significant contributing factors for the presence of Salmonella, with AOR of 5.34 (95% CI: 1.06–26.81, p = 0.002), 0.07 (95% CI: 0.01–0.15, p < 0.001), and 0.127 (95% CI: 0.028–0.57, p <0.001), respectively. Moreover, hair cover usage was also significantly associated with S. aureus detection with (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2-7.1, p = 0.016). E. coli exhibited moderate resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline, with 10.9% multidrugresistant (MDR). Salmonella demonstrated 100% resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline, with a 15.38% MDR level. Moreover, 41.9% of S. aureus identified were MDR with resistant to tetracycline (51.2% n=44/86), penicillin (90.7% n=78/86), and oxacillin (66.3% n=57/86). Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was identified in 58.1% of S. aureus isolates, while extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli was detected in 21.8% of E. coli isolates. Conclusion: The findings from this study clearly indicate the poor hygienic conditions of these juices and the consumers are at risk of getting food-borne infections and underscore the urgent need for improved hygiene practices, regular monitoring, and targeted public health interventions to reduce microbial risks in ready-to-consume fruit juices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.en-USRisk factorsfecal Coliformfruit juicestotal coliformantimicrobial resistance.Thesis