Evaluation of the Frequency of Enterotoxin A (SEA) and Enterotoxin B (SEB) Genes in Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in Rafsanjan, Iran

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important human pathogens that produces a wide range of toxins and causes various diseases. Staphylococcal enterotoxin is the most common cause of food poisoning. In addition, S. aureus enterotoxins are classified into 18 serotypes A to U based on serological and biological properties. Methods: The samples were isolated from clinical specimens and identified by routine bacteriological methods. The isolated S. aureus was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of the genes encoding SEA and SEA. Results: Based on the PCR results, 3 isolates possessed the enterotoxins B (SEB) gene while none of them showed enterotoxins A (SEA) gene. Conclusions: The obtained results revealed that the clinical samples might be a potential source of the enterotoxigenic strains of S. aureus.