First report of the presence of enterotoxin gene in coagulase-negative staphylococci recovered from meat of snails (Achatina achatina)

Abstract

Introduction It has been suggested that coagulase-negative staphylococci can serve as reservoirs of virulence genes for other bacteria. This study assessed the presence of such genes in selected isolates recovered from meat of the giant African snail (Achatina achatina). Material and Methods Virulence genes were detected using a polymerase chain reaction targeting specific primers. Two representative isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results The results showed that the staphylococcal enterotoxin A gene (sea) was present in five out of the eight isolates studied. The isolates expressed resistance mainly to three antibiotics: chloramphenicol, norfloxacin and cloxacillin in descending order of incidence. Most importantly, the Staphylococcus sciuri isolate NEDU 181, in addition to being resistant to the three aforementioned antibiotics, also harboured the sea gene. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, the presence of toxigenic and antibiotic-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. in commercially-available fresh snail meat. With staphylococcal enterotoxin A known to survive cooking temperature, this presents a food safety concern.

Comprehensive Approaches for the Search and Characterization of Staphylococcins

“…Staphylococcus isolates can be present in animal-derived food products. S. aureus has been related to food poisoning due to the production of enterotoxins, while CoNS species are not commonly involved in any case of staphylococcal infection [ 127 , 128 ]. However, CoNS can also carry enterotoxin genes, such as S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis species, considered opportunistic pathogens [ 129 ].…”