Production of staphylococcal enterotoxin A in Blue, Brick, Mozzarella, and Swiss cheeses

Microbial load, prevalence and antibiograms of salmonella and Shigella in lettuce and green peppers

BACKGROUND

Human food borne infections traditionally are acquired through the ingestion of foods of animal origin. Fresh fruits and vegetables are major vehicles for the transmission of the food-borne infections. In Ethiopia, there is a tradition of consuming raw vegetables, particularly lettuce and green pepper, without adequate treatment. The objective of this study was to investigate the microbial load of fresh lettuce and green pepper, used as salad vegetables, and to assess the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella and Shigella spp. isolated from lettuce and green pepper.

METHODS

A total of eighty samples of lettuce and green peppers were purchased from different outlets in Addis Ababa and analyzed for their load of various microbial groups and flora analysis was conducted following standard microbiological methods. The presence of Salmonella and Shigella and their antibiotic resistance was also determined.

RESULTS

Over 90% of the vegetable samples had aerobic mesophilic counts of ≥ log 6 cfu/g. Ninety seven percent of the lettuce and 58% of the green pepper samples had enterobacteraceae counts of ≥ log 5 cfu/g. Coliforms were encountered at counts ≥ log 4 cfu/g in 48% and 35% of lettuce and green pepper samples, respectively. Over 80% of vegetable samples harbored staphylococci with counts ranging from log 4 to log 6 cfu/g. More than 88% of lettuce and 18% of green pepper samples had yeast and mold counts ≥ log 4 cfu/g. The aerobic mesophilic flora of the vegetable samples was dominated by Bacillus and Micrococcus spp. Salmonella and Shigella were isolated from eight (10%) and 24 (30%) samples, respectively. All of the Salmonella and 97% of Shigella isolates showed resistance to penicillin. Ampicillin resistance was observed in 42% of Salmonella and 79% of Shigella isolates. Multiple drug resistance was seen in 8 and 24 isolates of Salmonella and Shigella isolates, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The majority of lettuce and green pepper samples had high microbial load and multiple drug resistant pathogens were also isolated from some samples. As lettuce and green pepper, when used as salad vegetables, do not get any further heat treatment, thorough washing and considerably longer exposure of the vegetables to food grade chemicals is recommended to kill pathogens and significantly reduce the microbial load.

Tool for quantification of staphylococcal enterotoxin gene expression in cheese

Cheese is a complex and dynamic microbial ecosystem characterized by the presence of a large variety of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Some microorganisms, including species of lactobacilli or lactococci, are known to contribute to the organoleptic quality of cheeses, whereas the presence of other microorganisms may lead to spoilage or constitute a health risk. Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as an important food-borne pathogen, owing to the production of enterotoxins in food matrices. In order to study enterotoxin gene expression during cheese manufacture, we developed an efficient procedure to recover total RNA from cheese and applied a robust strategy to study gene expression by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). This method yielded pure preparations of undegraded RNA suitable for RT-qPCR. To normalize RT-qPCR data, expression of 10 potential reference genes was investigated during S. aureus growth in milk and in cheese. The three most stably expressed reference genes during cheese manufacture were ftsZ, pta, and gyrB, and these were used as internal controls for RT-qPCR of the genes sea and sed, encoding staphylococcal enterotoxins A and D, respectively. Expression of these staphylococcal enterotoxin genes was monitored during the first 72 h of the cheese-making process, and mRNA data were correlated with enterotoxin production.

Survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enteritidis on salted sardines (Sardina pilchardus) during ripening

The ripening period for salted sardines ranges from 4 to 6 months, depending on the season. Sometimes producing industries need to distribute the product earlier owing to market needs, and when this happens the product's safety needs to be assured. The purpose of this work was to study the survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Enteritidis on salted sardines during a ripening period of 115 days. Salted sardines were inoculated with pure cultures of S. aureus and Salmonella Enteritidis (10(5) CFU/g of fish on day 0). After 5 days of ripening, the water activity value for the sardines decreased from 0.93 to 0.69. The survival of both pathogens and that of total viable cells were evaluated during the ripening process. Total viable counts decreased by 2 log units over the 115-day ripening period. Salmonella Enteritidis and S. aureus survived for 60 and 90 days, respectively. Therefore, the use of a 90-day ripening period could be effective in assuring the safety of the final product.

The effect of a commercial starter culture addition on the ripening of an artisanal goat's cheese (Cameros cheese)

The evolution of physicochemical parameters, and the most important microbial groups, were determined for the following three batches of 'Cameros' goat's milk cheese during ripening: Batch R elaborated with raw milk, Batch RS elaborated with raw milk and with the addition of a starter culture, and Batch PS elaborated with pasteurized milk and with the addition of the same culture. No differences in total solids (TS) or in the content of NaCl, fat and total nitrogen (expressed as percentages of TS) were found during the ripening. The pH, fat acidity and non-protein nitrogen (NPN, expressed as a percentage of TN) showed significant differences between the batches. The inoculated batches showed the fastest drop in pH at the beginning of the ripening period, but the cheeses of Batch R showed a higher degree of lipolysis and proteolysis. The addition of a starter influenced the microbiological quality of the cheeses. Differences in the counts of Enterobacteriaceae and faecal coliforms were found between Batches R and RS after 15 days. Staphylococcus aureus increased in number during the early period of ripening and attained a population above 6 log cfu g-1 in Batch R in the period from 5 to 10 days. However, enterotoxins were not detected in this Batch. Batch R showed lower values of lactic acid bacteria at the beginning of the ripening period, but no significant differences were found between batches in the period from 5 to 15 days of ripening. At the beginning of the ripening, Lactococcus was the main lactic acid bacteria, with L. lactis lactis being predominant. After 15 days, the lactic acid bacteria counts decreased in the three batches, especially in the cheeses of Batch PS (only 2.2 log cfu g-1 was found at 60 days), as lactococci (the only lactic acid bacteria present in Batch PS) are incapable of growing under the conditions found in cheeses at the end of their ripening period. At this time, Lactobacillus was the predominant genus in Batches R and RS, with L. plantarum predominant. No lactococci were found from day 30 in Batch R and from day 40 in Batch RS. The cheeses of Batch RS received the most favourable scores from the tasting panel for all attributes judged: cut appearance, colour, aroma, taste, texture and general acceptance.

The influence of Lactobacillus plantarum culture inoculation on the fate of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium in Montasio cheese

The growth and survival of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium were investigated during the manufacturing and ripening of raw milk Montasio cheese. Initial inoculated populations in the cheese milk were about 10(5) cfu/ml for S. aureus and 10(6) cfu/ml for S. typhimurium. Samples of curds and cheeses were taken during manufacturing and storage and analysed for pH and microbial populations. S. aureus increased slightly in number during the early period of ripening and attained a population of about 10(6) cfu/ml during the remaining period of storage. S. typhimurium decreased during cheesemaking and storage but persisted through 90 days. The addition of Lactobacillus plantarum culture (0.2% v/v) produced a marked reduction in populations of the test strains in 10 days of storage. Enterotoxin A was not detected in Montasio cheese even with a S. aureus population of 1.1 X 10(7) cfu/ml. L. plantarum strains were also tested by the spot method and the associative growth approach for their antagonistic activity against S. aureus and S. typhimurium. The compound excreted by L. plantarum was active only toward S. aureus. Furthermore, its activity was destroyed by protease treatment. These results indicated that while the growth of S. typhimurium is reduced by the acid production, S. aureus inhibition can be ascribed to bacteriocin production.

The behavior of selected microorganisms during the manufacture of high moisture Jack cheeses from ultrafiltered milk

Whole milk was pasteurized and concentrated two times by ultrafiltration. Starter cultures, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, were propagated in either reconstituted skim milk, two times UF retentate, or UF permeate, or a direct vat system was used for the starter culture. The cheese milk was simultaneously inoculated with starter culture and Pseudomonas fragi 4973, Staphylococcus aureus 196E, and Salmonella typhimurium var. Hillfarm. Control whole milk, UF control milk, inoculated whole milk, and inoculated UF milk were made into Monterey Jack cheese using traditional procedures. The process of cheese manufacture was followed by determination of pH, titratable acidity, and microbial population levels. The cheeses were stored for 6 mo and analyzed every month for percentage solids and microbial population levels. Generally, numbers of contaminant microbes increased at a similar rate during manufacture in all cheeses. During the 6-mo ripening period, bacterial starter culture population levels remained high, psychrotrophs declined slowly, Staphylococcus levels remained stable, and Salmonella populations decreased. No Staphylococcus enterotoxin was detected by reverse passive latex agglutination assay.

Production of staphylococcal enterotoxins C1 and C2 and thermonuclease throughout the growth cycle

Synthesis of enterotoxins C1 and C2 and thermonuclease throughout the growth cycle was investigated with Staphylococcus aureus type strains FRI137 and FRI361 and S. aureus isolates M5 (C1) and L2 (C2) of animal origin. Both enterotoxins were produced during the exponential growth phase or at the beginning of the stationary phase. The minimal incubation time (7 to 12 h) and the lowest population (10(7) to 2 x 10(9) CFU/ml) associated with detectable enterotoxin (1 to 6.5 ng/ml) were related to the total amount of toxin produced after 24 h. Thermonuclease was detected in all samples whenever enterotoxins were detected. Furthermore, strain FRI137 produced thermonuclease earlier and at lower cell populations than it did enterotoxin C1. Patterns of enterotoxin and thermonuclease synthesis did not correlate. The concentration of toxins increased throughout the growth cycle, while the concentration of thermonuclease remained constant during the last hours of the growth cycle.

Staphylococcus aureus, thermostable nuclease and staphylococcal enterotoxins in raw ewes' milk Manchego cheese

Growth and survival of two enterotoxigenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus were studied during manufacture and ripening of eight batches of raw ewes' milk Manchego cheese. Only 2-3 generations of Staph. aureus occurred in the vat and during pressing. The death rate of Staph. aureus (mean decrease in log cfu/g/week of ripening) from day 1 to day 60 was 0.421 in cheese made with 1% Streptococcus lactis starter and 0.404 in cheese made without starter. Thermostable nuclease was produced in the vat by growing Staph. aureus cells; it was inactivated by rennet during the first 24 h and synthesized again by surviving cells of Staph. aureus from day 1 to day 60. Staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C and D were not detected in any batches of cheese, even though Staph. aureus counts exceeded 10(7) cfu/g.

Influence of lactic starter inoculation, curd heating and ripening temperature on Staphylococcus aureus behaviour in Manchego cheese

Growth and survival of Staphylococcus aureus were investigated in 52 lots of raw ewe's milk Manchego cheese manufactured and ripened under different conditions. A 5.8-fold reduction in S. aureus counts after 60 days of ripening was obtained by inoculating milk with 1% Streptococcus lactis culture, and a further 2.0-fold reduction could be achieved by adding 0.1% Lactobacillus plantarum culture. Curd heating temperature had a significant effect on S. aureus survival, with counts 4-5 times lower in cheese from 30 degrees C curd than in cheese from curd heated at 36-40 degrees C. Ripening temperature was the parameter with the greatest influence on S. aureus counts, which reached in cheese cured at 10 degrees C or 20 degrees C for 60 days levels 10 and 100 times lower, respectively, than in cheese held at 5 degrees C.

Seasonal variation and characterization of Micrococcaceae present in ewes' raw milk

Samples (120) of ewes' raw milk collected over a 12-month period on arrival at the dairy and freshly drawn ewes' milk samples (30) collected at the farm were analysed for total viable counts and staphylococci. Total viable counts reached on the average 5.4 X 10(6)/ml in dairy samples and 6.0 X 10(5)/ml in farm samples, whereas mean levels of staphylococci were 5.9 X 10(4)/ml and 3.3 X 10(3)/ml, respectively. A high proportion (62%) of coagulase-positive isolates from Baird-Parker agar plates was detected in spring months. Staphylococcus aureus (42%), Staph. haemolyticus (23%) and Staph. epidermidis (10%) were the predominant species in 210 characterized isolates of staphylococci from ewes' raw milk. Seven coagulase-positive, maltose-negative staphylococci could not be identified with any of the recognized Staphylococcus species. Eighteen Micrococcus strains were identified as M. varians, whereas 111 Micrococcus strains of uncertain taxonomic status were separated into three groups, according to their physiological characters.