Abstrakt
                This  study  investigated the  eggs  of  Polish-bred  edible  snails  of  the Cornu genus  as  a  food  and  aimed  to determine the presence of microorganisms in them of the Salmonella and Listeria genera and ascertain the number of coagulase-positive staphylococci. Material and Methods: Raw material, semi-finished products, and the final product were collected during the production cycle. Testing for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. and measuring of the pathogenic staphylococci contamination  level  were  carried  out  in  accordance  with  ISO  standards.  Commercial  biochemical  tests  were  used  for  species identification of bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family and Staphylococcus genus. An API kit and a PCR protocol were utilised for species confirmation of the microorganisms of the Listeria genus. Results: Neither Salmonella nor coagulase-positive staphylococci were found  in  any  of  the  studied  material.  Bacteria  of  the Listeria genus  were  found  in  samples  taken  at  every  stage  of  production; however L.  monocytogenes was  confirmed  in  samples  of  the  final  product. Conclusion: The  absence  of Salmonella spp.  and Staphylococcus aureus in samples of the final product indicates that the required hygiene standard was maintained in the production process of edible snail eggs. Nevertheless, the presence of L. monocytogenes in eggs of common garden snails may pose a potential risk to consumer health.