DETECTION OF ENTEROTOXIN GENES OF Staphylococcus aureus ISOLATES FROM FOOD CONTACT SURFACES IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY OF JALISCO, MEXICO

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is widely distributed in nature, and two of the main sources of S. aureus contamination in the food industry are food handlers and Food Contact Surfaces (FCS). This pathogen is responsible for outbreaks of foodborne illnesses associated with the consumption of milk and dairy products. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of toxin-encoding genes in S. aureus isolates from FCS in the Jalisco dairy industry. The presence of enterotoxin genes was investigated by PCR. In this study, we identify 84 S. aureus isolates. Overall, 35.7% of the isolates tested positive for at least one of the nine studied enterotoxin genes, and 15.4% harbored 2-4 enterotoxin genes. The most predominant genes were sej and sed. This study demonstrates that FCS are a source of contamination for this food rotation and that there is a diversity of enterotoxin genes in S. aureus isolates. Therefore, vigilant food safety practices need to be implemented regarding FCS to prevent foodborne infections and intoxications due to S. aureus contamination.