Incidence of Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat meals from military cafeterias in Ankara, Turkey

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat (RTE) meals from military cafeterias in Ankara, Turkey. Out of 512 samples, 48 (9.4%) had coagulase positive S. aureus ranging from 2.2 to 4.3 log CFU/g. Samples of Russian salad, vegetable salad, and meatballs, which require more food matrix handling, were significantly more likely (p < 0.05) to contain S. aureus at higher levels (>4 log CFU/g) than were corresponding samples of hamburger patties, pizza, Turkish lahmacun, Turkish pide, and Turkish doner. These data indicate that food handlers may contribute to S. aureus contamination and that there are some handling practices that require more attention. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.