Abstract
Foodborne bacteria, with a high degree of antibiotic resistance, play an important role in the morbidity and mortality of gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. Among 250 disease-causing bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major causes of food poisoning, and its resistance to multiple antimicrobials remains of crucial concern. Cheese is often contaminated when proper sanitary procedures are not followed during its production and marketing. This work aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of pasteurized white cheese commercialized in Panama City. Cheese from five different brands sold in local supermarkets were selected to determine the presence of S. aureus as well as its antibiotic resistance profile. The results showed significant contamination of S. aureus with a geometric median sample of 104–107 CFU/g. Four out of five (4/5) cheese brands analyzed presented risk of food poisoning by exceeding the allowed range of consumption with a geometric median sample of 1,8 × 106–1,4 × 107 CFU/g. Fourteen different resistance phenotypes were found. Fifty-five percent (55%) of the analyzed strains were resistant to erythromycin. The data confirm a relatively high prevalence and high levels of S. aureus, most likely originated during handling in Panama City retail markets. Further studies are needed to reduce bacterial contamination and to decrease the risk of food poisoning in the consumption of pasteurized cheese.
Highlights
Cheese, characterized by its snow-white color, crumbly texture, and a lightly salted flavor is an essential ingredient of Panamanian cuisine
Coagulase-positive colonies were counted, and the levels of contamination of each brand were determined, giving the following results: the five samples analyzed from brand 1 were positive for the presence of S. aureus with a mean value of 6 × CFU/g; two positive samples were detected in brand 2; four positive samples in brand 3; and 1 positive sample in brand 5. us, according to the Laboratory Methods in Food Microbiology, these four brands of pasteurized cheese are considered unsatisfactory for human consumption
S. aureus is a foodborne pathogen that has been linked to various types of foodborne outbreaks related to the consumption of cheese, which have caused a significant impact on health, economic, and trade issues
Summary
Cheese, characterized by its snow-white color, crumbly texture, and a lightly salted flavor is an essential ingredient of Panamanian cuisine. Hand manipulation of processed cheese along with its high moisture content and barely acidic pH are factors that contribute to the presence and growth of foodborne pathogens [5, 6]. S. aureus is an important foodborne pathogen that causes a wide spectrum of infections in humans, from mild skin infections, bacteremia, systemic disease, or osteomyelitis to more life-threatening infections, such as toxic shock syndrome and staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) [11, 12]. In the United States of America (USA) and according to the last report available from 2017, the annual incidence of foodborne outbreaks was 841 resulting in 14,481 illnesses, including 827 hospitalizations and 20 deaths, with 2 of them reported as SFP outbreaks [14]. In Panama, 277,286 illnesses associated with foodborne pathogens were reported in 2019 [17]. No updated data about the microorganisms responsible of these outbreaks is available since 2002, when twenty-eight percent (28%) of the investigated foodborne outbreaks were related to SFP, while E. coli was responsible for sixty-two percent (62%) [18]
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