Molecular Detection of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> from Dried Fish Sold at Selected Markets
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Food Safety Laboratory, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Corresponding Author: Nandy S, Doctus Journal of Microbiology & Immunology.
Abstract
Dried fish is a dietary staple across coastal and riverine eastern India and is frequently handled without refrigeration. We screened 240 samples from twelve retail markets for Staphylococcus aureus by selective culture, confirming isolates by nuc gene amplification and testing for enterotoxin genes. S. aureus was recovered from 27.9% of samples; enterotoxin genes sea or seb were present in 41% of isolates and methicillin resistance in 12%. Contamination correlated with open-air display and with handler hand-contact frequency rather than with drying duration. The findings support point-of-sale hygiene intervention and periodic market-level surveillance rather than regulation of the drying process itself.
Keywords
Staphylococcus aureus; Dried Fish; Food Safety; Enterotoxin; Market Surveillance; nuc Gene
How to Cite
Nandy S, Haldar A and Islam R. “Molecular Detection of Staphylococcus aureus from Dried Fish Sold at Selected Markets”. Doctus Journal of Microbiology & Immunology 1.2 (2026): 48-59.
Copyright and Licence
© 2026 Nandy S. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.