Evaluation of staphylococcal food contamination in four different culture media.

The efficiency of Baird-Parker agar, mannitol-salt agar, Vogel-Johnson agar and Giolitti-Cantoni broth for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus from food samples, was studied by comparing the numbers of Staphylococcus recovered from the samples, the degree of selectivity reached and the recovery of coagulase and thermonuclease positive staphylococci. Lowest counts of Staphylococcus were obtained with Giolitti-Cantoni broth. The mannitol-salt agar proved to be the most efficient media system with respect to the number of staphylococci recovered and the degree of selectivity reached. None of these media was highly selective for the isolation and detection of S. aureus; therefore, it is necessary to identify the isolated colonies in all cited media, in order to use rightly the current guidelines for microbiological quality of foods.

[Types of microbial contaminants in pharmaceutical raw materials]. / Tipos de contaminantes microbianos de materias primas farmacéuticas.

In order to analyze the significance of the microbial content of pharmaceutical raw materials contributed to the finished pharmaceutical products, we have carried out a study of contamination taking into account aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria and fungi. None or only low numbers of pathogenic microorganisms was found in most analyzed products but in some materials, specially those of natural origin, we have detected high bacterial and fungal contamination. Microorganisms of the genus Bacillus have been the aerobic bacteria most frequently isolated; Bifidobacterium and Clostridium were the most common anaerobic bacteria and with respect to the fungi, Penicillium and Aspergillus have been found with the highest frequency. These microorganisms can produce problems in pharmaceutical finished products, due to their enzymatic or toxigenic activities.