Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Ready-to-eat Meat Products

Staphylococcus aureus is an emerging opportunistic threat to both animal and human health. It is classified as a high-priority pathogen owing to its widespread nature, making it easy to enter the human food chain. This bacterium is highly versatile and can lead to diverse infections and several foodborne outbreaks all over the world, as it produces approximately 28 types of potent superantigens enterotoxins, the most common types of these toxins implicated in foodborne outbreaks are staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C, and D. Additionally, this pathogen can release another toxins which are responsible for another infections including: toxic shock syndrome, scale skin syndrome, folliculitis, and pneumonia, in addition to spreading factors facilitating its pathogenicity in the infected host. Moreover, S. aureus can cause various illnesses, including suppurative dermatitis, osteomyelitis, MRSA Heart Infection (Endocarditis), and septicemia. With the discovery of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, S. aureus is one of the firstly pathogens developing multiple antimicrobial resistant to the antimicrobials used for its eradication and treatment in human through various mechanisms. Interestingly, the prevalence of S. aureus and its resistant strains varies across the different geographical regions in Egypt and worldwide, mainly influenced by the hygienic status, personal practices, and cultural traditions in the surveyed countries. This review provides concise and diverse information about the microbial characteristics, virulence factors, prevalence, and antibiotic resistance of S. aureus, MRSA, and VRSA, in ready-to-eat meat products, in Egypt and worldwide.