Detection of Salmonella Spp. in milk samples of selected regions of Diyala city

The aim of this study was to identify milk contamination that produced from dairy cattle with salmonella organisms in different regions of Diyala city. Fresh (unpasteurized) and heat treated (pasteurized) milk samples (n=10) were collected randomly from non-similar five regions of Diyala city that well-known with dairy cattle production particularly local shops and cattle shepherd markets, samples were send to the laboratory for some microbial testing. Special selective media were prepared and cultured with pasteurized and raw unpasteurized milk, the results refered that there were infected milk samples out of 10 fresh unpasteurized milk as the following percentage, 10% Rashdiah, 20% Bani saad, 80% Ghalbiah, 50% Khalis and 20 % Shiftah, while the pasteurized milk samples displayed contamination out of 10 samples as the previous (20% Rashdiah and 10% Ghalbiah), other pasteurized samples regions showed negative results for salmonella in regions of Bani saad, Khalis and Shiftah. We concluded that both heat treated and fresh milk may be unsafe for humankind ingesting if produced under unsanitary conditions or insufficient pasteurization