Prevalence and molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus in commercially available meat over a one-year period in Iowa, USA.

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus in commercially available meat over a one-year period in Iowa, USA. Food Microbiol. 2017 Aug;65:122-129 Authors: Thapaliya D, Forshey BM, Kadariya J, Quick MK, Farina S, O' Brien A, Nair R, Nworie A, Hanson B, Kates A, Wardyn S, Smith TC Abstract Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading cause of infectious disease morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have confirmed the presence of S. aureus, including MRSA, on raw meat products. We investigated the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of S. aureus and MRSA in commercially-distributed antibiotic-free and conventional raw meat products (n = 3290) purchased in 8 Iowa retail stores weekly for a period of one year. Isolates were characterized using spa typing, and PCR was used to detect the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and mecA genes. Quantitation of S. aureus on meat products was carried out one week per month. The prevalence of S. aureus on meat samples was 27.8% (913/3290). Compared to antibiotic-free meat samples, higher prevalence of both MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) were found in conventional meat samples. Among the S. aureus isolates, 18 were PVL-positive (1.9%) and 41 (4.5%) carried mecA. Phenotypic oxacillin resistance was observed for 17.1% (41/239) of the isolates tested, while 23% (55/239) were multi-drug resistant. A total of 132 sp...
Source: Food Microbiology - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Food Microbiol Source Type: research