title: Sanitary quality, occurrence and identification of Staphylococcus sp. in food services.
abstract: Sanitary conditions are essential for the production of meals and control of the presence of pathogensis important to guarantee the health of customers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sanitary quality of food services by checking the presence of thermotolerant coliforms, Staphylococcus sp. and evaluate the toxigenic potential from the latter. The analysis was performed on water, surfaces, equipment, ready-to-eat foods, hands and nasal cavity of handlers in seven food services. The water used in food services proved to be suitable for the production of meals. Most food, equipment and surfaces showed poor sanitary conditions due to the presence of thermotolerant coliforms (60.6%). Twenty-six Staphylococcus species were identified from the 121 Staphylococcus isolates tested. Staphylococci coagulase-negative species were predominant in the foods, equipment and surfaces. In food handlers and foods, the predominant species was Staphylococcus epidermidis. Twelve different genotypes were found after PCR for the classical enterotoxin genes. The seb gene (19.8%) was the most prevalent among all Staphylococcus sp. Both coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative Staphylococci showed some of the genes of the enterotoxins tested. We conclude that there are hygienic and sanitary deficiencies in the food services analyzed. Although coagulase-positive Staphylococci have not been present in foods there is a wide dispersion of enterotoxigenic coagulase-negative Staphylococci in the environment and in the foods analyzed, indicating a risk to consumer health.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrição Faculdade de Nutrição Universidade Federal de Pelotas PelotasRS Brazil Departamento de Nutrição, Faculdade de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jozi Fagundes
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Enfermagem Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto AlegreRS Brazil Faculdade de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Laura Braga
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Microbiologia Agrícola e do Ambiente Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto AlegreRS Brazil Programa de Pós-Graduação em Microbiologia Agrícola e do Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ester Souza
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciência dos Alimentos Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto AlegreRS Brazil Departamento de Ciência dos Alimentos, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jeverson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frazzon
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia Imunologia e Parasitologia Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto AlegreRS Brazil Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: da Costa
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005522:Food Services; D005838:Genotype; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins
keywords: Staphylococcal enterotoxin; Staphylococcus sp.; food service; sanitary quality