Contamination rate, antibiotic susceptibility profile, biofilm formation and presence of TSST-1 gene in Staphylococcus aureus strains

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk and traditional dairy products of West-Azerbaijan Province and also to evaluate the presence of TSST-1 virulence gene, antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation of the isolates. Using stratified random method, a total of 80 raw milk and traditional dairy products (including traditional cheese, cream and curd) together with 20 nasal swab samples of the dairy products’ manufacturers were collected. S. aureus strains were isolated and identified by conventional culture methods. Afterwards, the isolates were subjected to PCR analysis to detect the presence of TSST-1 gene. According to the findings, 35% of the samples were contaminated by S. aureus. Moreover TSST-1 gene was recognized in 1 cheese and 2 swab samples. Antibiotic resistance profile revealed that most of S. aureus isolates were resistant towards vancomycin, penicillin, and methicillin and sensitive towards co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, rifampin, oxacillin, and cephalothin. Moreover, 2.85%, 17.15%, and 80% of the isolates were capable to form high, moderate and low amounts of biofilm. High occurrence of S. aureus in milk and dairy products which harbor TSST-1 virulence gene, and the strains that demonstrated resistant to several antibiotics and capable of biofilm formation, could be considered a health threat to the consumers of these products.