Abstract
Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), caused by the contamination of staphylococcal enterotoxins, is a common foodborne disease worldwide. The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate classical staphylococcal enterotoxin genes, sea, seb, sec, sed, and see, among Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) associated with bovine mastitis; (2) to determine the effect of temperature on the expression of classical staphylococcal enterotoxin genes in staphylococci in milk. The detection of classical staphylococcal enterotoxin genes was performed using S. aureus (n = 51) and CNS (n = 47). The expression of classical enterotoxin genes, including sea, seb, sec, and see, was determined during the growth of staphylococci in milk subjected to ultra-high-temperature processing at two different temperatures: 8 °C and room temperature. Classical staphylococcal enterotoxin genes were expressed more frequently in S. aureus (35.30%) than in CNS (12.77%). The sec gene was most frequently detected in S. aureus (29.41%) and CNS (6.38%). Moreover, the expression of sea and sec was significantly higher at room temperature than at 8 °C after 16 h of incubation (p < 0.05). These results emphasize the importance of maintaining the storage temperature of milk below 8 °C to reduce the risk of SFP.
Highlights
Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide
The most frequent staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) genes detected in this study were sec followed by sea
The current study demonstrated that the growth of staphylococci in milk incubated at room temperature was faster than that at 8 ◦ C, especially when the milk was incubated for a long period of time (4–48 h)
Summary
Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide. It is caused by the consumption of food contaminated with staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) secreted by Staphylococcus aureus [1] and, occasionally, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) carrying the enterotoxin genes [2]. SFP is usually acute, and symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and nausea, can be observed approximately. The pathogen, which is usually transferred to food from food handlers, produces SEs if the conditions are suitable for bacterial growth [5]. A previous study in the UK reported that the most common contaminated foods were meat products (75%), followed by fish and shellfish (7%) and dairy products (8%) [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
