Staphylococcus aureus
S. aureus is a gram-positive, non-spore forming spherical bacterium. S. aureus is ubiquitous and occurs on mucous membranes and skin of most warm-blooded animals, including all food animals. Up to 50 per cent of humans may carry this organism (FDA 2003).
The temperature range for growth is 7–48°C, the minimum aw for growth is as low as 0.85 and the pH range for growth is 4–10. The temperature range for toxin production is 10–48°C, the pH range is 4.5–9.6 and toxin production occurs at an aw as low as 0.87 (ICMSF 1996). Toxins are not always totally inactivated by heat treatments used during processing of foods.
Humans and animals are primary reservoirs for S. aureus. Staphylococcal food poisoning occurs when enterotoxigenic S. aureus is introduced into a food that will support growth of the organism, and that food is stored under conditions allowing the organism to grow and produce sufficient quantities of enterotoxin (Ash 1997).
Foods commonly associated with staphylococcal food poisoning are raw meat and poultry, dairy products, salads, cream-filled bakery products and processed meat (Stewart 2003).
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