Prevalence and Characterization of Coagulase Positive Staphylococci from Food Products and Human Specimens in Egypt

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Food Safety
• Public Health

Background:

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses significant veterinary and public health challenges, causing difficult-to-treat infections and foodborne illnesses.
• The presence of MRSA in food products and human samples is a growing concern for food safety and disease transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of MRSA in various food products and human samples.
• To determine the antibiotic resistance patterns of identified MRSA strains.
• To analyze the genetic relatedness of MRSA isolates from different sources.

Main Methods:

• Culturing and identification of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA strains from minced meat, beef luncheon, Karish cheese, and human pus swabs.
• Disk diffusion tests and mecA gene-based PCR for MRSA confirmation.
• Sequence analysis of the mecA gene to assess genetic similarities.

Main Results:

• 35% (70/200) of samples were positive for coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus, with high prevalence in minced meat (46%), beef luncheon (44%), and Karish cheese (44%).
• MRSA strains exhibited high resistance to common antibiotics, including penicillin (97.1%) and amoxicillin (91.4%).
• Over half of Staphylococcus aureus isolates carried the mecA gene, with significant genetic similarities observed between food and human isolates.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the risk of mecA gene transmission of Staphylococcus aureus across the food chain, linking food products and human sources.
• Findings underscore the importance of monitoring MRSA in food products to prevent public health risks.
• Further epidemiological studies are recommended to fully understand MRSA strain dynamics within the food chain.