ABSTRACT
The staphylococci cells are spherical and characteristically divide in more than one plane to form irregular grapelike clusters. The genus Staphylococcus is a member of the family Staphylococcaceae, which also contains the genera Jeotgalicoccus, Macrococcus and Salinicoccus. The enterotoxins are involved in staphylococcal food poisoning, one of the most common foodborne diseases worldwide. The enterotoxins responsible for staphylococcal food poisoning are produced primarily by Staphylococcus aureus, although Staphylococcus intermedius and S. hyicus have been shown to be enterotoxigenic. The disease transmitted by S. aureus is intoxication, caused by the ingestion of toxins formed in the food as a result of the multiplication of the bacterial cells. Food handlers are a common source of contamination, although equipment and food-handling surfaces in processing environments may contaminate the foods. Non-pathogenic species of the Staphylococcus genus may grow, producing similar colonies, thereby creating the need to subject typical colonies to the coagulase test for confirmation.
