ABSTRACT
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the main bacterial groups included in intrinsic microbiota of naturally fermented meat products. Their safety aspects have been evaluated, particularly in relation to transfer of antimicrobial resistance determinants to foodborne pathogens or closely related fermentative bacteria. The resistance of LAB from fermented meat products is discussed elsewhere in this book (Zdolec et al., Chapter 14). The resistance of CoNS seems to be equally important, despite a common opinion on low presence of safety hazards in CoNS from fermented meat products (Resch et al. 2008). In this respect, frequent isolation and even the dominance of opportunistic pathogen St. epidermidis in spontaneously fermented sausages is of particular significance (Marty et al. 2012, Zdolec et al. 2013). It is known that natural site of St. epidermidis is human and animal skin, and thus its finding in home-made fermented sausages is usual (mixing the sausage ingredients by hands). Although St. epidermidis was not involved in food poisoning outbreaks yet, its presence in food could be of public health importance as carrier of transmissible resistance genes. Zdolec et al. (2013) reported the dominance of St. epidermidis among CoNS in naturally fermented sausages produced in households, and frequent presence of tetracycline resistance genes tetK and tetM. The majority of strains harbored phenotypic resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline and ampicillin. Martin et al. (2006) reported the highest rate of resistance in St. epidermidis and St. warneri strains to ampicillin and erythromycin. Even et al. (2010) found that 69% of multiresistant strains isolated from food/clinical specimens belonged to St. epidermidis species with dominant resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline and penicillins. The tetK and tetM genes were also reported as most prevalent antibiotic resistance genes in CoNS from the production chain of swine meat commodities where St. epidermidis was dominant species (Simeoni et al. 2008). Although St. epidermidis is not classical food poisoning bacteria, its presence in food, including fermented meat products, and foodproduction chain could be of public health significance due to a possible spreading of antimicrobial resistance determinants.
