Assessing the potential for raw meat to influence human colonization with Staphylococcus aureus

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Food Safety
• Public Health

Background:

• Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common cause of infections.
• The transmission routes of S. aureus from livestock to consumers via household meat handling and consumption are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of meat in the transmission of S. aureus to humans.
• To compare S. aureus strains colonizing humans with those found in retail meat products.

Main Methods:

• Collected S. aureus isolates from 3347 individuals and 913 meat products from Iowa grocery stores.
• Sequenced the staphylococcal protein A (spa) gene to determine spa types.
• Utilized Morisita indices and PERMANOVA to analyze spa type composition in human and meat samples.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were observed in spa type composition between human samples and meat from associated grocery stores.
• No significant differences in meat spa types were found across different stores or counties.
• Human S. aureus spa types showed high similarity irrespective of urban or rural location.

Conclusions:

• Retail meat is unlikely to be a major source of S. aureus colonization for consumers.
• Further research may be needed to identify other primary sources of S. aureus colonization in the general population.