Resumen

GUIMARAES CESAR, Josi et al. Microbiological assessment of lettuce salads and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus spp. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2015, vol.32, n.5, pp.2280-2285. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2015.32.5.9632.

Introduction: self-service restaurants in which food is served ready to be consumed are liable to have some products contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms causing food-transmitted diseases. Aim: evaluates the microbiological quality of lettuce salads in restaurants in Pelotas RS Brazil by counts of thermo-tolerant coliforms, E. coli, Staphylococcus spp. and detection of Salmonella spp. Antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus spp. isolates are also assessed. Methods: thirty-six samples of lettuce salads were collected from nine restaurants and thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus spp. were quantified, coupled to a research on Salmonella spp., following methodology by the Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Staphylococcus spp. isolates underwent antimicrobial resistance test by the disc-diffusion method. Results and discussion: results showed that 61.1% of the salad samples contained more thermotolerant coliforms than allowed by Brazilian legislation and E. coli was confirmed in 5.6% of the samples. Positive and negative coagulase Staphylococcus occurred respectively in 5.6% and 77.8% of isolates, but no sample had Salmonella spp. Further, 56.7% of the thirty isolates of Staphylococcus spp. tested were resistant to penicillin; 46.7% to oxacillin; 26.7% to erythromycin and 23.3% were multi- resistant. Conclusion: inadequate quality of the salad was due to pathogenic microorganisms, while Staphylococcus spp. isolates had a high percentage of antimicrobial resistance.

Palabras clave : Microorganism markers; Restaurants; Antibiotics.

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