The detection of classical enterotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus in raw cow milk using the ELISA method

Milk and dairy products are frequently contaminated with exterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus, which is oft en involved in Staphylococcal food poisoning. The aim of the present study is to investigate the presence of classical enterotoxins of S. aureus in raw milk that was produced in Isfahan, Iran. For this purpose, 72 milk samples were collected from the bulk milk tanks of 12 milking farms during 3 different seasons (winter, spring, and summer) and tested for the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Out of 72 samples studied, 15 samples (20.8%) were positive for at least 1 SE. Of these, 12 (16.7%) were positive for SEA, 9 (12.5%) for SED, and 6 (8.3%) for SEC. None of the samples was positive for SEB or SEE. Statistical evaluation showed that there were not any significant differences (P > 0.05) between the presence of SEs in the milk samples tested in winter, spring, and summer. Further studies should be carried out to investigate the presence of these toxins in different foods and their roles in food poisoning.