Presence of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Different Foods

Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most prevalent causes of gastroenteritis throughout the world. This study has three steps. In the first step of the study, different food matrices were analyzed for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. In the second step, types of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SET) from these foods were analyzed. Lastly, antibiotic resistance of S. aureus isolated was determined using conventional and PCR methods. For this purpose, 300 different food samples were evaluated for contamination with S. aureus. From these samples 221 S. aureus strains were isolated. The same strains were evaluated for antibiotic resistance and existence of mecA gene. All strains were at least resistant to 2 antibiotics, but no MRSA strain was detected. Staphylococcal Enterotoxins (SE) were determined with VIDAS and ELISA from the foods of concern. The results of the analysis held with Vidas SET2 showed 72 (24%) of 300 samples and with ELISA these enterotoxins showed difference in distribution.