Study of Staphylococcus aureus in raw and pasteurized milk consumed in the Reconcavo area of the State of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

This study is to verify the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in milk consumed in Reconcavo Baiano, Brazil for which 50 samples of raw milk and 20 samples of pasteurized milk were analyzed from 10 municipalities of this region (Cabaceiras do Paraguacu, Cachoeira, Conceicao do Almeida, Cruz das Almas, Dom Macedo Costa, Maragogipe, Sao Sebastiao do Passe, Saubara, Santo Amaro and Santo Antonio de Jesus). The Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in Baird Parker agar where typical and atypical colonies were selected and submitted to coagulase and complementary tests. Out of 50 samples of raw milk studied, 34 showed contamination by Staphylococcus aureus , corresponding to 68% of the samples being contaminated. In the pasteurized milk, 6 samples were contaminated with this microorganism, corresponding to 30% of the 20 samples. The presence of this pathogenic microorganism indicates a potential health hazard to those who consume milk from this region.