Abstract
ABSTRACTFood handlers are important component in assessment and maintenance of food quality as they are carriers of food pathogens causing spoilage. Food spoilage is attributed to quorum sensing (QS) controlled development of biofilms. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel QS and biofilm inhibitors to prevent spoilage of food products. In the present study, toxin producing biofilm forming methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated from food handlers. Further, eugenol was screened for its QS and anti-biofilm properties. Analysis of nasal and hand swabs revealed the presence of seven toxigenic and biofilm forming MRSA strains. Eugenol demonstrated significant anti-QS activity in CVO26 and also reduced the QS-regulated production of elastase, protease, chitinase, pyocyanin and exopolysaccharide (EPS) in PAO1 considerably. Eugenol demonstrated 17%–86%, 24%–69%, 30%–91%, 9%–94% and 4%–89% reduction in biofilm biomass of S. aureus ATCC 25923 and MRSA strains FSA3, FSA11, FSA13 and FSA32, respectively. Sub-inhibitory concentrations of eugenol also decreased the metabolic activity in biofilm cells. Molecular docking analysis showed high binding affinity of eugenol that represents its biofilm inhibitory activity. This is the first report on the carriage of toxigenic drug-resistant biofilm forming S. aureus by food handlers and inhibition of their biofilms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The findings give a clear insight into the food safety hazards associated with the carriage of S. aureus and present eugenol as a broad-spectrum anti-QS and anti-biofilm agent.
Highlights
Foodborne illness is one of the major health concerns worldwide and according to the estimates of World Health Organization (WHO) around 30% population in the developed countries suffers from food-related health hazards annually, whereas in the third world countries mortality of two million is estimated per year [1]
Carriage rates of S. aureus reported by several investigators differ and these variations may be due to the ecological differences of the studied population
Our findings find support from the observation made by Marino et al [29] who showed moderate to high biofilm formation among staphylococci isolated from food samples and food handlers
Summary
Foodborne illness is one of the major health concerns worldwide and according to the estimates of World Health Organization (WHO) around 30% population in the developed countries suffers from food-related health hazards annually, whereas in the third world countries mortality of two million is estimated per year [1]. Food handlers are a common and persistent cause of the spread of foodborne diseases [2] and Staphylococcus aureus is one of the important pathogens often transmitted via food contaminated by an infected food handler. Staphylococcus aureus is a foodborne pathogen that can cause localized and invasive infections in humans due to consumption of contaminated food [3]. The infection causing ability of S. aureus is attributed primarily to the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST) [4]. Toxin production is the major cause of the foodborne illness caused by the S. aureus, other factors like biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance contribute to its pathogenicity. Biofilm formation is a marker of pathogenicity for drug-resistant S. aureus [8]. Biofilm formation has been extensively studied in clinical settings, but limited information is available regarding staphylococcal biofilm in the food industry
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