Staphylococcal Enterotoxins and Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in Raw Milk: A Screening Study

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important cause of foodborne intoxications in human beings. Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) may lead to outbreaks because of taking food such as milk and dairy products. The aims of this study were to analyze the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxins and enterotoxigenic properties of the S. aureus isolates in 120 raw milk samples. One hundred and twenty raw milk samples were analyzed to detect SEs using the enzim-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Staphylococcal entertoxin genes (sea, seb, sec, sed, see) were analysed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In the current study, SEs were found 2 of 120 bulk tank milk samples. Totally 18 (38.3%) of 69 isolates were confirmed by PCR targeting nuc and coa genes in S. aureus. SEs genes were detected as 3 (16.6 %) of 18 S. aureus isolates. Staphylococcal enterotoxins in foods like milk and dairy products are the potential public health hazards. Surveillance programs and effective monitoring systems are required for controlling staphylococcal enterotoxins in raw milk.