Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus constitutes a major food-borne pathogen, as well as one of the main causative agents of mastitis in dairy ruminants. This pathogen can produce a variety of extracellular toxins; these include the shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), exfoliative toxins, staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE), hemolysins, and leukocidins. S. aureus expresses many virulence proteins, involved in evading the host defenses, hence facilitating microbial colonization of the mammary glands of the animals. In addition, S. aureus exotoxins play a role in the development of both skin infections and mastitis. Indeed, if these toxins remain in dairy products for human consumption, they can cause staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) outbreaks. As a result, there is a need for procedures to identify the presence of exotoxins in human food, and the methods used must be fast, sensitive, reliable, and accurate. It is also essential to determine the best medical therapy for human patients suffering from S. aureus infections, as well as establishing the relevant veterinary treatment for infected ruminants, to avoid economic losses in the dairy industry. This review summarizes the role of S. aureus toxins in the development of mastitis in ruminants, their negative effects in the food and dairy industries, and the different methods used for the identification of these toxins in food destined for human consumption.

Highlights

  • Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent contaminant of foodstuffs, and possibly represents the main food-borne pathogen that causes health problems in both animals and humans

  • This review summarizes the role of S. aureus toxins in mastitis outbreaks, their effect on the food and dairy industries, and the use of different techniques to identify these toxins in foodstuffs, to avoid food poisoning

  • Serological tests based on antigens/antibodies represent some of the earliest methods implemented to detect staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs); the techniques utilized included diffusion and agglutination tests

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Summary

Introduction

Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent contaminant of foodstuffs, and possibly represents the main food-borne pathogen that causes health problems in both animals and humans. It is one of the major causes of bovine, ovine and caprine mastitis, resulting in substantial reduction in both milk production and quality, generating considerable economic losses in the dairy industry [1]. S. aureus is a Gram-positive catalase, coagulase, and usually Voges-Proskauer positive organism It is a non-spore-forming, oxidase-negative, nonmotile, cluster-forming, and facultatively anaerobic microorganism that grows at a wide range of temperatures and pHs. In humans, S. aureus colonizes the nasal mucosa and skin in an estimated 50% of the healthy population, but it can cause hematological infections [2]. In the 1940s, the first penicillin-resistant strain appeared and in the 1960s, only one year after the introduction of methicillin and oxacillin, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains emerged

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