The aim of this study was to isolate, quantify, and investigate samples of Staphylococcus spp from rennet or coalho cheese (a firm but very lightweight cheese produced in Brazil) and determine the presence of the toxigenic genes sea-see, seg-sej, tst, eta, and etb by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Counts of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CPS) were found varying from 10² to 10(6) CFU.g-1. The toxigenic genes tst, sec, sed, seg, seh, sei, and sej were identified in 18 of the 20 isolates of Staphylococcus spp at the following percentages: 5, 11, 9, 20, 16, 25, and 14%, respectively. The presence of a high percentage of isolates containing different toxigenic genes is a matter of concern for the health of the consumer due to the possible production of toxins responsible for food poisoning. The presence of various toxigenic genes in samples of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus is another important fact because there are no laws in Brazil regarding limitations on the presence of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in foods.
rennet cheese; PCR; enterotoxin
