Authors : Mekonnen Addis, Mahindra Pal and Moses N. Kyule
Abstract: In this study, investigation of the presence of Staphylococcus and determination of its prevalence and distribution, identification of Staphylococcus species and determination of their prevalence and distribution and characterization of the isolates in order to determine their ability in synthesizing coagulase from Ethiopian cottage cheese (Ayib) were conducted from October 2008-April 2009 in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. About 200 cottage cheese (Ayib) samples were analyzed. The identification results showed 24%, Staphylococcus prevalence. The 48 isolates proved to be Staphylococcus were tested for species assignment. They were grouped into S. aureus with 10 (5%) isolates, S. intermedius with 11 (5.5%) isolates, S. hycius with 8 (4%) isolates and coagulase negative staphylococci with 19 (9.5%) isolates. All the isolates were tested for the production of coagulase to determine their pathogenicity. The prevalence of coagulase positive staphylococci in the study were found to be 14.5%. The high level of Staphylococcus isolate found in the Ethiopian cottage cheese (Ayib) in the present study represent a poor keeping quality and public health risk to the consumer. This suggests the need to implement strict hygienic control measures along the food chain to improve the hygienic conditions during manufacturing, handling, storage and commercialization of cheese in order to guarantee the quality of this highly popular product in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia in order to decrease the risk of staphylococcal food poisoning.
Mekonnen Addis, Mahindra Pal and Moses N. Kyule, 2011. Isolation and Identification of Staphylococcus Species from Ethiopian Cottage Cheese (Ayib) in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. Veterinary Research, 4: 13-17.