Med. Weter. 74 (1), 16-22, 2018
full text
JUSTYNA SCHUBERT, SYLWIA KRAKOWIAK, JACEK BANIA |
Production of staphylococcal enterotoxins in food |
Staphylococcal food poisoning results from ingestion of food contaminated with toxins produced by
enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus strains. Common symptoms of this intoxication include vomiting,
diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Staphylococcal enterotoxins are resistant to heat and a number of
environmental factors. Certain cheeses, milk powder, and whey powder are the only foodstuffs that are being
routinely examined for the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxins SEA-SEE. The newly identified enterotoxins
are not included in the current examination scheme. Enterotoxin-producing staphylococci were already
isolated from meat, meat products, milk, dairy products, fermented food products, vegetables, pastries and
fish products. It has been demonstrated that many environmental factors associated with food processing and
storage can significantly influence the level of secreted enterotoxins by S. aureus strains. Nevertheless, only
a few studies on the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins were conducted in foodstuffs. Most data on
their expression is based on experiments performed with a low number of S. aureus strains, and usually only
SEA-SEE enterotoxins are investigated. These results inclined many authors to the conclusion that milk and
dairy products are unfavorable environments for expression of staphylococcal enterotoxins. However, recent
research has indicated a significant heterogeneity in the ability of enterotoxin production in milk among S.
aureus strains derived from diverse sources. S. aureus strains able to secrete high levels of enterotoxins in milk
and meat juice were described. This research indicates that a high number of S. aureus strains should be used
for studying staphylococcal enterotoxins expression in food. It seems to be the appropriate way to assess the
risk of staphylococcal food poisoning.... |
Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcal enterotoxins, food |