Determining the enterotoxin genes and methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus Aureus isolated from goat milk and its products

Abstract

Milk and its products can be frequently contaminated with enterotoxigenic and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, and in such a case, it causes various diseases, especially staphylococcal food poisoning. In the present study, 100 sample materials (50 goat milk, 25 goat cream, and 25 goat cheese) were collected from 65 livestock farms in Erzurum. All samples were analyzed and tested selectively according to the EN ISO 6888-1 procedure standard. The obtained isolates were examined with the PCR in terms of nuc, Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL), mecA, and enterotoxin genes. S. aureus was detected in 4 of 50 (8%) milk samples, 2 of 25 (8%) cream samples, 3 of 25 (12%) cheese samples, and 9 of the total samples (9%). While the incidence of methicillin resistance was found to be 3% by the disc diffusion method, the incidence of the mecA gene was found to be 2% by PCR. In terms of enterotoxin genes, 8% (4/50) of milk samples, 12% (3/25) of cheese samples, and 8% (2/25) of cream samples contained at least one enterotoxin gene. In total, 9% of 100 samples contained enterotoxigenic S. aureus. In conclusion, the consumption of enterotoxigenic and mecA positive S. aureus-containing raw milk, dairy products that have not been adequately heat-treated, or milk and products that are not kept in proper storage conditions pose a danger to public health.