Molecular detection of some Staphylococcal enterotoxins in the meat of slaughtered animals in abattoirs, Mosul- Iraq

Foodborne pathogens are an international health problem, especially Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, which is considered one of the most important foodborne pathogens. The study aimed to isolate and identify the S. aureus bacteria from the meat of slaughtered animals in Mosul abattoirs during the period from August 26 to November 20, 2024. The conventional microbiology diagnosis for S. aureus in the meat of slaughtered animals in Mosul abattoir reveals isolation of 131/270, with a total isolation rate reaching 48.5% from all meat samples. For the purpose of further analysis to detect the enterotoxin genes, the isolates that were previously confirmed as S. aureus by using specific Nuc gene, PCR was applied to 46 random isolates to identify S. enterotoxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, sef, and Tsst genes) which gave a positive result for Sea, seb, sec, and Tsst genes with molecular weight 219, 478, 257 and 559 bp, respectively, except the seD and seE gene are not detected in this study, moreover some isolates carrying either one or more than one of enterotoxins genes. From the results of this study, we believe that meat contamination in the abattoirs may come from poor sanitation practices in slaughterhouses that could expose the consumers to meat-borne infections and food poisoning. It could be recommended that activities in the abattoir should be monitored and regulated by the government and sanitation agencies to ensure that approved and acceptable standards are adhered to reduce contamination of meat that gets to final consumers.