Abstract

To evaluate the prevalence of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in intestines of land snails and to determine the antibiogram of the isolates, samples for culture were obtained from ninety-nine different land snail species. Isolates of S. aureus were tested for enterotoxin production using the SET-RPLA and their antibiotic susceptibilities were determined by disc diffusion methods according to NCCLS standards. A total of 42 S. aureus isolates were recovered. Of these, 28 were enterotoxigenic. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that all of the S. aureus isolates had 100% resistance to augmentin, cloxacillin, cefuroxime and amoxycillin-clavulanic acid and showed varying resistance to other antibiotics tested. The results showed that enterotoxigenic S. aureus could be found in snails and could show resistance to commonly used antibiotics. The presence of enterotoxigenic S. aureusunderscores the need for thorough cooking of snails before consumption in order to prevent staphylococcal food poisoning.

Key words: Snails, Staphylococcus aureus, enterotoxin, antibiotic sensitivity.