Enterotoxigenic and Antibiotic Resistance Determination of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Food Handlers in Gaborone, Botswana

Abstract

The prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and enterotoxigenic potential of Staphylococcus aureus strains from different anatomical sites on food handlers in Gaborone, Botswana, were determined. Of a total of 200 food handlers tested, 115 (57.5%) were positive for S. aureus. Of the 204 S. aureus isolates, 63 (30.9%), 91 (44.6%), and 50 (24.5%) were isolated from the hand, nasal cavity, and face, respectively, and 43 (21%) of the isolates were enterotoxigenic. The most prevalent enterotoxin was type A, which accounted for 34.9% of all the enterotoxigenic strains, and enterotoxin D was produced by the fewest number of strains (9.3%). Resistance to methicillin was encountered in 33 (22.4%) of the penicillin G–resistant isolates, and 9 (27.3%) of these methicillin-resistant isolates also were resistant to vancomycin. Nineteen antibiotic resistance profiles were determined, and the nasal cavity had the highest diversity of resistance profiles. The nasal cavity also had the highest number of resistant strains, 77 (53%), whereas the hand and face had 49 (32%) and 24 (16.0%) resistant strains, respectively. To reduce the Staphylococcus carriage rate among food handlers, training coupled with a commitment to high standards of personal and environmental hygiene is recommended.