Detection of positive mecA Staphylococcus aureus isolated from meat and butchers’ shops by using PCR technique in Mosul city

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can harm to public health as they can cause widespread food poisoning and resistance to multiple antibiotics. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the percentage of S. aureus and MRSA among meat and butcher shop tools, utensils, and workers' hands by detecting the presence of the nuc and mecA genes in S. aureus and MRSA isolates, respectively using PCR technique in Mosul city. In this study, we randomly selected 300 samples from meat and various butcher shop surfaces in Mosul city between September 2021 and January 2022. The findings confirmed that S. aureus carried the nuc gene in meat 64% and other samples, ranging from 36% in machines to 82% in knives. Additionally, out of 178 positive S. aureus isolates in this study, 94 samples showed a positive mecA gene for S. aureus. Significant differences were observed among the meat and various utensils of butcher shops. The meat had a higher prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates reach 75% more than the other tools and utensils (machines 38.9%, tables 36.7%, worker hands 38.5%). Further research is necessary to evaluate the existence of enterotoxin genes in Staphylococcus aureus of different meat products.

Keywords

• virulence gene
• mrsa
• food safety
• veal
• iraq