| Congresso Brasileiro de Microbiologia 2023 | Resumo: 707-2 | ||||
Resumo:The production of Minas Artesanal Cheese (QMA) is a traditional activity that is part of the food culture of several microregions of the state of Minas Gerais, such as Araxá. However, the use of raw milk in the cheese making process may favor the transmission of zoonotic pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus. This is a Gram-positive bacterium that can causes food-poisoning outbreaks due the ingestion of enterotoxins present in dairy products. S. aureus is one of the major bovine mastitis-causing pathogens, and can be present in the milk, and, consequently, in the cheese. Therefore, the study aimed to detect S. aureus in QMA from the Araxá microregion and in the raw materials used for its manufacture (pingo and milk) using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PRC) technique. For this, a total of 82 samples were used, divided into pingo (n=10), milk (n=9), and cheese (n=63), obtained from 11 farms from Araxá microregion registered in the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA) as official QMA producers. Cheese samples were collected at 1, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 63 days of ripeness. Samples were identified and kept at -80°C until processing. For DNA extractions, the Qiagen Dneasy PowerFood Microbial kit was used, according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Subsequently, the extracted DNA was used in PCR assays for identification of S. aureus with the species-specific targeting the nuc gene. All 82 samples from Araxá microregion were negative for S. aureus, which is not expected, since this pathogen is very common in dairy farms. However, it is important to note that S. aureus have a great capacity of adhesion and biofilm formation into the mammary gland, being transiently excreted in the milk, which can explain the negative results. Additionally, intramammary infections by S. aureus are very transmissible, decreasing milk production and quality and, consequently, the yield of cheese production. Thus, it is possible to speculate that these farms have a great concerned about S. aureus, adopting measures to prevent their presence in the herds. In conclusion, apparently there is no risk of transmission of S. aureus by consumption of QMA. Palavras-chave: raw milk cheese, food security, enterotoxin, QMA, S. aureus Agência de fomento:CAPES, FAPEMIG, CNPq | |||||