Significance of coagulase-positive staphylococci for microbiological food safety

Abstract

Staphylococcal foodborne intoxication, in which major symptoms are vomiting and diarrhoea, occurs after ingestion of thermostable staphylococcal enterotoxins produced in food by enterotoxigenic strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci. Staphylococcal enterotoxins are normally not or only slightly inactivated during food processing, storage, distribution or during the preparation of the food in the kitchen. Therefore, if enterotoxigenic staphylococci are able to grow in food to more then 105 - 106 cfu/g/ml before they are killed there is still a risk of intoxication with consumption. The legislation of the Republic of Serbia lays down criteria for coagulase- positive staphylococci in food. However, the number of coagulase-positive staphylococci may not always be a good indicator of the presence of staphylococal enterotoxins, and the number of cells may have already decreased although the product still contains enterotoxins. The microbiological criteria for coagulase-positive staphylococci and/or staphylococcal enterotoxins in food are essential and useful to protect public health.