title: Safety Evaluation of the Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Microbiota of Salami: Superantigenic Toxin Production and Antimicrobial Resistance.
abstract: The risks of contracting staphylococci food poisoning by the consumption of improperly manufactured salami and the possibility of this food being reservoirs for antibiotic resistance were evaluated. Nineteen coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) strains were found in commercial and artisanal salami. The species in commercial salami were S. saprophyticus, S. sciuri, S. xylosus, and S. carnosus. Artisanal salami showed S. succinus, S. epidermidis, and S. hominis but no S. carnosus. Phylogenetic analyses grouped the strains into three major staphylococcal species groups, comprised of 4 refined clusters with similarities superior to 90%. Fifteen strains harbored multiple enterotoxin genes, with high incidence of seb/sec and sea, 57% and 50%, respectively, intermediate incidence of sed/seh/selm and sei/seln/tst-H, 33% and 27%, correspondingly, and low incidence of see/selj/selo and seg, of respectively 13% and 1%. Real time RT-PCR and enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assays confirmed the enterotoxigenicity of the strains, which expressed and produced enterotoxins in vitro. The CNS strains showed multiresistance to several antimicrobials of therapeutic importance in both human and veterinarian medicine, such as β-lactams, vancomycin, and linezolid. The effective control of undue staphylococci in fermented meat products should be adopted to prevent or limit the risk of food poisoning and the spread of antimicrobial-resistant strains.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Athos da Silveira Ramos 149, Sala 545, Cidade Universitária, 21949-909 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soares Casaes Nunes
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Athos da Silveira Ramos 149, Sala 545, Cidade Universitária, 21949-909 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mere Del Aguila
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Athos da Silveira Ramos 149, Sala 545, Cidade Universitária, 21949-909 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vânia Margaret Flosi
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Paschoalin
mesh_terms: D003030:Coagulase / Q000378:metabolism; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D064307:Microbiota; D010802:Phylogeny; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D003030:Coagulase; D004768:Enterotoxins