Occurrence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Bovine Raw Milk in Chennai

Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presence in milk is of significant importance as they are often involved in food borne intoxications. Effective surveillance and detection are the most important tools in outbreak investigation and control. Our study was designed to ascertain the occurrence Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) from raw milk collected from apparently healthy cattle in Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 89 (89/258; 34.49%) positive isolates of Staphylococcus aureus obtained from 258 raw milk samples screened. Of which 24 (24/258; 9.3%) isolates positive for MRSA. Studying the antimicrobial resistance and its patterns in foods of animal origin will be of immense help to various regulatory agencies and authorities to devise and implement control measures and to note the compliance of our foods with the prescribed standards.