Contamination of Traditional Cheese in Mazandaran Province to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Background and Prevalence of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in foodstuff is becoming a serious health problem, especially in developing countries. This research was conducted to investigate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in traditional cheese samples in Mazandaran province, Iran.
In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the presence of MRSA was investigated using specific mecA primers by PCR in 360 cheese samples in Mazandaran province, which were collected during one year. The resistance of isolates to vancomycin, erythromycin, oxacillin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, tetracycline, gentamycin, and cotrimoxazol was determined through disc diffusion method.
Among the samples tested, 62.2% were contaminated by S. aureus (average count of 3.96 log cfu g-1). From 224 isolates 199 (88.8%) were methicillin-resistant. MRSA resistance to antibiotics was as follows: gentamycin 77%, cotrimoxazol 75%, vancomycin 68%, ciprofloxacin 60%, oxacillin 52%, tetracycline 29%, erythromycin 15%, and penicillin 10%.
The results showed high levels of contamination to MRSA in traditional cheese samples. Proper hygienic handling in farms, using pasteurized milk, and providing people with ample information about health guidelines could prevent cross contamination during processing and prevalence of the bacteria in traditional products.