| Summary: | Staphylococci are microorganisms increasingly associated with food poisoning. This work aimed to determine the prevalence, and to detect factors of virulence and resistance, of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from samples of food, utensils and handling surfaces in an industrial kitchen of a supermarket chain in Rio de Janeiro; and to analyze the presence of genes encoding staphylococcal enterotoxin H (seh) and antimicrobial resistance (mecA). A total of 50 samples were collected between January and March 2016. After isolation, microbial species were identified by MALDI-TOF MS, as well as seh and mecA genes, which were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the 50 samples analyzed, 45 (90%) were positive for Staphylococcus sp. Presence; 41 samples were of the genus, 37 of which were identified at the species level, 40 samples coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS), and one coagulase-positive (CPS). The identification of the species by the MALDI-TOF MS technique proved to be accurate. The seh gene was detected in only one CNS sample (S. saprophyticus), isolated from a cold slicer. When the PCR technique was performed for the detection of the mecA gene in the 41 strains obtained from Staphylococcus sp., 6 food samples and 7 surface samples were positive. It is concluded that CNSs are widespread in the environment and need to be given more attention with regard to their detection in food.
DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2017.26426
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