Enterotoxin-encoding genes and antibiogram of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from nasal cavity of restaurant workers at the Taraba State University, Jalingo, Taraba State

Staphylococcal enterotoxin is one the main causes of food poisoning. Carriage of S. aureus in the nose and hands of food handlers has been reported as a major source of Staphylococcal food poisoning. This investigation was aimed at determining the prevalence of S. aureus in the nasal cavity of food handlers in a university community in Nigeria. It also assessed the antibiotic sensitivity profile of S. aureus and carriage of classical enterotoxin genes. A total of 198 swab specimens were screened for S. aureus using standard microbiological methods. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was performed using disc diffusion method. Staphylococcal enterotoxin (sea-sed) genes were detected by PCR. This study recorded 26/198 (13.1%) prevalence of nasal S. aureus. S. aureus was mostly isolated among female food workers 19(14.4%) and age-group 46-60 years 16 (17.1%). The least resistance to S. aureus was observed in ciprofloxacin (22.0%), while higher resistance was recorded in Penicillin (86.0) and trimethoprim (79.0%). The sea gene was the most predominant, and was present in 6/26 (23.1%) of the isolates. No isolate harboured the see gene. The study revealed that a significant percentage of food handlers in the university community carry enterotoxigenic S. aureus strains in their nostrils. However, hygiene measure and screening programmes should be implemented to prevent food contamination with S. aureus during food processing.