A Cross-Sectional Survey on Ready-to-Fry Falafel Regarding Its Potential to be Host for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and sea, stx1, stx2 Genes Responsible for Toxin-Origin Food Poisoning

Information about the putative foodborne bacteria in falafel is scanty, at least in Iran. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the putative genes responsible for toxin-origin food poisoning, including encoding gene of Shiga toxin type 1 protein (stx1) and Shiga toxin type 2 protein (stx2) of E. coli and encoding gene of staphylococcal enterotoxin A (sea) of S. aureus in ready-to-fry falafel (RTF) collected from the southeast of Iran. The frequency of stx1 and stx2 in E. coli and sea in S. aureus isolates were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction after the isolation of E. coli and S. aureus using routine procedures in 65 samples of RTF. The prevalence of contamination by E. coli, S. aureus, and both bacteria was 56.9%, 44.6%, and 32.3%, respectively (p > .05). The genes stx1, stx2, and both stx1 and stx2 were present in 43.2%, 27%, and 13.5% of the falafel containing E. coli, respectively (p > .05). A significant statistical correlation was found between the presence of stx1 or stx2 and the presence of E. coli (p < .05). The sea gene was remarkably found in 44.8% of the falafel containing S. aureus (p < .05). The RTF can host the dangerous levels of E. coli and S. aureus, containing stx1, stx2, and sea genes, accentuating an alarming signal for human consumption and public health.

Cite this article as: Balouchi, M., Rahnama, M., Alipour-Eskandani, M., Salari, S., & Saadati, D. (2024). A cross-sectional survey on ready-to-fry falafel regarding its potential to be host for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and sea, stx1, stx2 genes responsible for toxin-origin food poisoning. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 50(1), 9-15.