Nashwa O. Khalifa^1,, Fatma I. Elhofy², Hanan A. Fahmy³, A. M. A. Barakat⁴

The objective of the present study was to investigate the epidemiological and genetic relationships of classical enterotoxins of S. aureus in goat’s raw milk, meat and food handlers in Toukh city in Qaluobia governorate, Egypt. A total of 100 goat, s raw milk and meat samples (50 of each) were collected from randomly distributed herds in streets for buying milk and in public markets for peddler meat. Hand and nasal swabs were collected from milkers and butchers (30 of ech). All samples were subjected for bacteriological examination for isolation and identification of S. aureus. Isolates were underwent reversed passive latex agglutination technique for detection of enterotoxigenic S. aureus. A multiplex PCR assay could successfully amplify the diagnostic DNA bands of 270bp, 165bp, 69bp and 306bp of genes for staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C, and D respectively. PCR was applied on the serologically identified 16 (20.25%) isolates out of 79 S. aureus which isolated from the examined goat’s food samples and human handlers by using one universal forward and reverse primers, specific for each individual toxin gene. None of the samples was positive for SEE indicating the zoonotic and genetic relationships.

S. aureus, latex agglutination, multiplex PCR, enterotoxigenic gene