Risk Assessment of Staphylococcus aureus Food Poisoning Associated with Pork Barbecues in Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Background: In Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire, the sale of pork barbecues has increased markedly over the past five years. The production and sale chain for these barbecues involves multiple handling steps that can introduce critical contamination points. Pork and personnel participating in preparation and sale represent potential reservoirs of microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus originating from skin and oral microbiota. Aims: The present study evaluated the risk of S. aureus foodborne poisoning associated with pork barbecues sold in Daloa. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in five Daloa neighborhoods with a high density of food outlets. Five pork barbecue vendors were selected and 150 consumers frequenting these establishments were interviewed to document hygiene practices and estimate population exposure to biological hazards. Twenty pork barbecue samples were collected from vendors and analyzed using both culture-dependent and PCR-based molecular techniques to detect and enumerate Staphylococcus species. Results: The population of Daloa demonstrated a high level of exposure to potential biological hazards from pork barbecues, with over 80% of respondents consuming this product at least once per week. Observations revealed inconsistent personal protective clothing and inadequate meat protection among the surveyed barbecue vendors. Microbiological analysis of the samples showed Staphylococcus spp. counts ranging from 6.102 CFU/g to 3.3.103 CFU/g, values below the established normative threshold and therefore indicative of acceptable microbiological quality. Staphylococcus aureus was not detected in any of the analyzed samples. Conclusion: Pork barbecue samples analyzed in this study did not contain S. aureus. Despite microbiological results within acceptable limits, deficiencies in vendors’ hygiene practices warrant reinforced implementation of good hygiene and food-safety practices to reduce contamination risks further. Maintaining good hygiene and monitoring at points of sale for pork barbecues is essential to prevent contamination, as these measures help break the chain of pathogen transmission.