Resumen

SCHMEDA, Carlos et al. Product sale conditions of Paraguayan cheese and frequency of contamination with enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in municipal markets of Asunción and Greater Asunción, May to June 2022. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2025, vol.23, n.1, e23122505.  Epub 30-Oct-2025. ISSN 1812-9528.  https://doi.org/10.18004/mem.iics/1812-9528/2025.e23122505.

"Queso Paraguay" is a fresh cheese, generally produced on farms with few sanitary quality controls and distributed in markets without adherence to good manufacturing practices (GMP). Contaminated utensils and food handlers who are reservoirs of Staphylococcus aureus (SAU) can contaminate the cheeses. SAU can produce enterotoxins that cause foodborne illnesses (FBIs). FBIs constitute a public health problem with a socioeconomic impact. The objective is investigate the marketing conditions of "Queso Paraguay" and the frequency of contamination with enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in Municipal Markets of Asunción and Gran Asunción, from May to June 2022. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. Twenty samples of "Queso Paraguay" purchased from Municipal Markets in Asunción and Gran Asunción were studied. The samples were cultured to investigate the frequency of S. aureus, and the isolates were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect enterotoxin-encoding genes. S. aureus was isolated in 30%(6) with counts between 1,0x102 and 4,0x103 CFU/g. One of the S. aureus isolates 17% (1) contained enterotoxin H, encoded by the seH gene. Contamination of artisanal "Queso Paraguay" samples with S. aureus was detected, with one of the strains being an enterotoxin producer. The handling of these products without GMP was also observed. This highlights the importance of training food handlers in the application of GMP.

Palabras clave : Staphylococcus aureus; enterotoxins; foodborne diseases (FBDs); food contamination.

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