[Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in "frescal" type cheese].

OBJECTIVE

To verify the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in a sample of cheese sold in a city of the Southeastern region of Brazil and assess the potential risk for the consumers.

METHODS

Eighty samples of homemade cheese sold in a city of the southern region of Brazil were evaluated for the presence and the most probable number of Staphylococcus aureus agents.

RESULTS

The study revealed the presence of S. aureus in 40 samples (50.0%, with a mean count of 10(5)/g.

CONCLUSION

These results are worrisome because the Health Ministry has established a safety threshold of 10(3)/g, and the values obtained are close to the number of bacteria able to produce enough enterotoxins to cause a foodborne disease outbreak.