Frequency of Enterotoxin Producing Staphylococcus aureus and Toxin Genes in Raw and Cooked Meat Samples

Aims Food safety has emerged as an important global issue with international trade and public health implications. Staphylococcus aureus is recognized as an important cause of food poisoning related to the consumption of raw, undercooked or mishandled foods worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and the frequency of enterotoxin producing S. aureus and SE genes in meat samples collected from meat retail outlets and restaurants in Zanjan, Iran. Materials & Methods In this cross sectional study, from March to June 2015, a total of 90 individual meat samples were collected from meat retail outlets and restaurants in Zanjan, Iran and investigated the frequency of enterotoxin producing S. aureus and SE genes. The meat samples were immediately homogenized and cultured on Baird parker agar and subjected for confirmatory biochemical tests and molecular detection of femA, sea, seb, sec, sed and see genes. Findings A total of 31 (34.4%) meat samples were positive for the presence of S. aureus. The frequency of S. aureus in raw meat (23.3%) was higher than cooked meat samples (11.1%). Enterotoxin-producing capacity was determined in 18 (20.0%) out of 90 homogenized meat samples using ELISA technique. The most prevalent SE gene was sea (38.7%), followed by see (22.6%), sec (16.1%) and seb (12.9%). SE genes were not found in strains isolated from cooked meat samples. Conclusion Detection of enterotoxigenic S. aureus in raw meat samples shows a probable risk for public health.