Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Retail Ready-to-Eat Foods in China

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant S.aureus (MRSA), is a life-threatening pathogen in humans, and its presence in food is a public health concern. MRSA has been identified in foods in China, but little information is available regarding MRSA in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA in Chinese retail RTE foods. All isolated S. aureus were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, and MRSA isolates were further characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. Of the 550 RTE foods collected from 2011 to 2014, 69 (12.5%) were positive for S. aureus. Contamination levels were mostly in the range of 0.3–10 most probable number (MPN)/g, with five samples exceeding 10 MPN/g. Of the 69 S. aureus isolates, seven were identified as MRSA by cefoxitin disc diffusion test. Six isolates were mecA-positive, while no mecC-positive isolates were identified. In total, 75.8% (47/62) of the methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates and all of the MRSA isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Amongst the MRSA isolates, four were identified as community-acquired strains (ST59-MRSA-IVa (n = 2), ST338-MRSA-V, ST1-MRSA-V), while one was a livestock-associated strain (ST9, harboring an unreported SCCmec type 2C2). One novel sequence type was identified (ST3239), the SCCmec gene of which could not be typed. Overall, our findings showed that Chinese retail RTE foods are likely vehicles for transmission of multidrug-resistant S. aureus and MRSA lineages. This is a serious public health risk and highlights the need to implement good hygiene practices.

Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli, Salmonella Spp. and Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria Contamination on Meat at Public Market in the North of Vietnam

“…and Staphylococcus aureus in fresh meat sold at the markets varied by seasons with higher contamination rates in spring and summer, and with lower contamination rates in autumn and winter in the studied sites (with P < 0.05). The results were in line with those on contamination of Listeria monocytogenes on meat samples collected in 24 cities in China, with 5.4% to 37.8% of the samples contaminated [43].…”

“…In the other sites no contaminated sample was found. The results were in line with those on contamination of Listeria monocytogenes on meat samples collected in 24 cities in China, with 5.4% to 37.8% of the samples contaminated [43].…”

“…In the other sites, no contaminated sample was found. The results were in line with contamination of Listeria monocytogenes on meat samples collected in 24 cities in China with 5.4% to 37.8% [43]. 25.0%; in the time frame of 14h to 16h, the contaminated samples ranged from 5.0% of the samples from Tuyen Quang to 15.0% of the samples from Bac Giang, for samples from Thai Nguyen and Lang Son, 10.0% was contaminated; in the time frame of from 17h to 19h, contamination of Staphylococcus aureus on pork was 5.0% of the samples from Bac Giang, Lang Son and Tuyen Quang, no samples from Thai Nguyen was found with contamination.…”

Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Other Staphylococcus Species in Raw Meat Samples Intended for Human Consumption in Benin City, Nigeria: Implications for Public Health

“…This finding is significantly higher compared to the findings in this study, which could be attributed to other food sources such as milk cream and fruit salad which were not investigated in this study. Yang et al [27] also revealed that of the 550 ready-to-eat food samples investigated in China, 69 (12.5%) were positive for S. aureus . This significantly is lower than the finding in the present study, 30 (60%).…”

“…Furthermore, human activities from the abattoir environment down to the open markets where they are available for sale to consumers could also be a predisposing factor, as Staphylococcus aureus have been reported by several authors to be a resident of the human nostril. Yang et al [27] revealed that 75.8% (47/62) of the methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates and all of the MRSA 100% (7/7) isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Similar study by Alexandra et al [30] showed marked resistance to the action of beta-lactams (100%), lincosamides and macrolides (clindamycin and erythromycin 80%), aminoglycosides (gentamycin and kanamycin 20%), and folate synthesis inhibitors (sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim 42%).…”