Abstract: Objective: To investigate the toxin-encoding genes and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from retail vegetables consumed raw. Methods: The 27 S. aureus isolates from tomato, lettuce, spinach and cabbage collected from supermarkets, farmers’ markets and vendors in Xi’an, Baoji, Hanzhong and Yan’an of Shaanxi province were identified by PCR amplification of the nuc gene, the prevalence of 19 toxin-encoding genes and 12 antibiotic resistance encoding genes in these isolates was evaluated, and the antibiotic susceptibility to 14 antibiotics was determined by the agar dilution method. Results: Seventeen of these isolates were identified as methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and the remaining 10 isolates were identified as oxacillin-susceptible methicillin-resistant S. aureus (OS-MRSA). A total of eight toxin-encoding genes were detected in the 27 isolates, and the detection rate (29.6%, 8/27) of sec was highest. In addition, 51.9% (14/27) of these isolates carried at least one toxin-encoding gene, and nine toxin-encoding gene profiles were totally identified. Seven antibiotic resistance genes including blaZ, mecA, ermC, tetK, dfrG, dfrK, and aac(6’)/aph(2”) were detected. The isolates were all susceptible to oxacillin, rifampicin and vancomycin. Resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanate was most commonly detected, followed by trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin, erythromycin, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, amikacin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol. Twenty-four (88.9%) isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Conclusion: OS-MRSA is prevalent in vegetables consumed raw in Shaanxi province, and it has multiple antibiotic resistances and carries multiple toxin-encoding gens, posing a potential food safety hazard.

Key words: vegetables consumed raw; Staphylococcus aureus; toxin-encoding genes; antimicrobial susceptibility