title: Pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis and some characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail foods and human hands.
abstract: This study investigates whether there is a predominant Staphylococcus aureus strain in retail foods and healthy human hands, and examines the relationship between pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) banding patterns and the S. aureus characteristics of staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) type, coagulase type, and β-lactamase activity. Ninety-four strains of S. aureus isolated from retail foods and healthy human hands were analyzed by PFGE. Several strains isolated from the same shop or a chain store showed identical patterns, indicating that the origins of these strains were identical. After excluding these strains showing identical patterns, 54 strains were used for the PFGE analysis. No spread of a particular clone in the environment surrounding the food was apparent. The PFGE analysis of these 54 strains was classified in 6 lineages (L1-L6). There was no relationship between the PFGE banding pattern and coagulase type or SE type. Eleven (84.6%) of the 13 isolates in PFGE banding pattern L5 did not produce β-lactamase, suggesting that the production of β-lactamase influenced a specific PFGE banding pattern.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimamura
authors.forename: Masatsune
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murata
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003030:Coagulase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000379:methods*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005511:Food Handling; D019649:Food Industry; D006801:Humans; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D003030:Coagulase; D004768:Enterotoxins; D001618:beta-Lactamases