Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus causes a foodborne intoxication due to the production of enterotoxins and shows antimicrobial resistance, as in the case of methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA). Herein, we analyzed 207 ready-to-eat foods collected in Algeria, reporting a S. aureus prevalence of 23.2% (48/207) and respective loads of coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS) ranging from 1.00 ± 0.5 to 5.11 ± 0.24 Log CFU/g. The 48 S. aureus isolates were widely characterized by staphylococcal enterotoxin gene (SEg)-typing and 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region (ISR)-PCR, as well as by detecting tst and mecA genes, genetic determinants of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and methicillin resistance, respectively. We found that the S. aureus isolates belonged to seven different SEg-types harboring the following combinations of genes: (1) selW, selX; (2) egc (seG, seI, seM, seN, seO), selW, selX; (3) seA, seH, seK, seQ, selW, selX; (4) seB, selW, selX; (5) seD, selJ, seR, selW, selX; (6) seH, selW, selX, selY; and (7) seA, egc, selW, selX, while among these, 2.1% and 4.2% were tst- and mecA- (staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec-type IV) positive, respectively. Selected strains belonging to the 12 detected ISR-types were resistant towards antimicrobials including benzylpenicillin, ofloxacin, erythromycin, lincomycin, tetracyclin, kanamycin, oxacillin, and cefoxitin; 8.3% (1/12) were confirmed as MRSA and 16.7% (2/12) were multidrug resistant. The present study shows the heterogeneity of the S. aureus population in Algerian ready-to-eat foods as for their toxigenic potential and antimicrobial resistance, shedding the light on the quality and safety related to the consume of ready-to-eat foods in Algeria.
Highlights
Food-associated health problems, caused by food contamination or malnutrition, have a worldwide impact on public health and economy [1]
S. aureus was found in 23.2% (48/207) of ready-to-eat foods sampled in Algeria
Other studies analyzed the presence of this microorganism in ready-to-eat foods in African countries, but only fragmented and incomplete information about the enterotoxigenic S. aureus and methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) isolated from African ready-to-eat foods is available so far
Summary
Food-associated health problems, caused by food contamination or malnutrition, have a worldwide impact on public health and economy [1]. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major pathogens of humans It causes various diseases including staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), toxic shock syndrome and other systemic diseases, bacteremia, pneumonia, and skin and soft tissue infections, to cite a few [7,8]. Its pathogenicity is promoted via several virulence factors, such as staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs), toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, haemolysins, and fibronectin-binding proteins [9]. This microorganism is considered as the most pathogenic of staphylococci but, as reported by Havelaar et al [10] and Fusco et al [11], it is acknowledged among the top 10 causes of bacterial FBDs, playing a major role in terms of food safety [12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
