setaceous glands. The microorganisms in the
resident group are more frequently Micro-
coccus luteusandS. epidermis, whereas the
bacteria most associated with the transient
group are S. aureus.
Poor care of the skin and skin disorders,
aside from detrimental appearance, may
cause bacterial infections, such as boils and
impetigo.Boilsare severe local infections
that result when microorganisms penetrate
the hair follicles and skin glands after the
epidermis has been broken. This damage
can occur from excess irritation of clothing.
Swelling and soreness result as microorgan-
isms such as staphylococci multiply and
produce an exotoxin that kills the surround-
ing cells. The body reacts to this exotoxin by
accumulating lymph, blood, and tissue cells
in the infected area to counteract the
invaders. A restraining barrier is formed
that isolates the infection. A boil should
never be squeezed. If it is squeezed, the
infection may spread to adjoining areas and
cause additional boils. Such a cluster is
called a carbuncle. If staphylococci gain
entrance to the bloodstream, they may be
carried to other parts of the body, causing
meningitis, bone infection, or other unde-
sirable conditions. Employees with boils
should exercise caution if they must handle
food because the boil is a prime source of
pathogenic staphylococci. An employee
who touches a boil or a pimple should use a
hand dip for disinfection. Cleanliness of the
skin and wearing apparel is important in
the prevention of boils.
Impetigois an infectious disease of the
skin that is caused by members of the
staphylococci group. This condition appears
more readily in young people who fail to
keep their skin clean. The infection spreads
easily to other parts of the body and may be
transmitted by contact. Keeping the skin
clean helps to prevent impetigo.
Fingers
Bacteria may be picked up through the
hands touching dirty equipment, contami-
nated food, clothing, or other areas of the
body. When this occurs, the employees
should use a hand-dip sanitizer to reduce
transfer of contamination. Plastic gloves
may be a solution (although their use has
been considered controversial by sanitation
experts who maintain that their use may
allow massive contamination). They help
prevent the transfer of pathogenic bacteria
from the fingers and hands to food and have
a favorable psychological effect on those
observing the food being handled in this
way.
The use of gloves offers both benefits and
liabilities. A clean contact surface may be
attained initially and bacteria that are
sequestered on and in the skin are not per-
mitted to enter foods as long as the gloves
are not torn or breached in some way. How-
ever, the skin beneath the gloves is occluded,
and heavily contaminated perspiration
builds up rapidly between the internal sur-
face of the glove and skin. Furthermore,
gloves tend to promote complacency that is
not conducive to good hygiene.Fingernails
One of the easiest ways to spread bacte-
ria is through dirt under the fingernails.
Employees with dirty fingernails should
never handle any food. Washing the hands
with soap and water removes transient bac-
teria, and the use of an antiseptic or sani-
tizer in hand soap controls resident
bacteria. Hospitals have demonstrated that
an alcohol containing a humectant can be
very beneficial in controlling and removing
both transient and resident bacteria with-
out hand irritation (Restaino and Wind,
1990).Personal Hygiene and Sanitary Food Handling 85