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Detecting Sources of Staphylococcus aureus in One Small‐Scale Cheese Plant in Northwestern Mexico
Author(s) -
CastañedaRuelas Gloria Marisol,
SotoBeltrán Marcela,
Chaidez Cristóbal
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of food safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1745-4565
pISSN - 0149-6085
DOI - 10.1111/jfs.12290
Subject(s) - raw milk , pasteurization , staphylococcus aureus , contamination , population , food science , food safety , hygiene , biology , food processing , food microbiology , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , bacteria , environmental health , ecology , genetics , pathology
The study aimed to identify the sources involved in the transference of Staphylococcus aureus along the chain production of pasteurized Queso‐Fresco (QF) in one cheese‐processing plant (CPP) in Northwestern Mexico. Eighty‐six samples were collected in the CPP from QF, worker's hands, raw milk, dairy‐products and utensils. The Bacteriological Analytical Manual was used to detect and enumerate S. aureus , and the Pulsed‐Field‐Gel Electrophoresis to genetically relate the strains. S. aureus was found in 18.6% (16/86) of the samples; raw milk (20%), utensils (13.6%) and hands (10.5%) were identified as bacterial sources reflecting its high prevalence (55.6%) and levels in QF samples, which differs from the Mexican legislation (<3.0 Logcfu/g). The genotypic analyses showed nine SmaI‐ patterns; one of them represented a predominant clone in QF samples, and the remaining profiles suggested the existence of multiple contamination sources at the CPP. Food handlers were the main carriers of bacterium causing final QF contamination. Practical Applications The number of small‐scale cheese‐processing plants in Northwestern Mexico has increased during the past decade. Combining traditional cheese making and good hygiene practices is a challenge, since several human pathogens pose hazard in the product. S. aureus is an important food poisoning pathogen that can be transmitted via raw milk and/or via hands to cheese. Mexican population regularly consumes handcrafted cheeses, and there is a lack of information on health issues. Surveillance safety programs complemented by the use of molecular tools allow tracing bacterial contamination, and might aid to correct the cheese‐processing plants, also improve the design of adequate hygienic and manufacturing practices to accredit the Queso‐Fresco safety and health regulation.