A recent study provides insight into the prevalence of S. aureus on the hands of food service workers, and the pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of S. aureus isolates.
Over the course of 13 months, researchers in Portugal collected a total of 167 swab samples from food service workers who worked in restaurants and served food. Staphylococcus aureus was present in more than 11 percent of hand swab samples, which the researchers note is not surprising since the human body is a host to microbes. Poor personal hygiene by food service workers who spread S. aureus to food is a common cause of infection.
Of all S. aureus isolates, most had pathogenic potential, and more than 60% contained at least one enterotoxin gene. Symptoms caused by Staphylococcus aureus may include nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle pain, and mild fever, occurring within one to six hours of ingestion of contaminated food and usually lasting no more than a few hours. aureus is a common cause of food poisoning and according to researchers it is not statistically reported due to the transient nature of the symptoms. In addition, while staphylococci are easily killed by pasteurization or cooking, S. aureus enterotoxins are resistant to treatments such as high temperature and low pH, so good hygiene is critical to controlling the pathogen, the researchers note.
Remarkably, more than 44% of S. aureus strains isolated were found to be resistant to erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic commonly used to treat S. aureus infections. The researchers reiterate that good hygiene is important to reduce AMR transmission from foodborne S. aureus poisoning.
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Post time: Nov-19-2022