Benefits of the Combined Use of Immunological- and PCR-Based Methods for Determination of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin Food Safety Criteria in Cheeses

The aim of this study, performed under official controls, was to assess the relationship between the content of staphylococcal enterotoxins SEA to SEE in cheese samples and the enterotoxigenic potential of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. The level of correlation may further underline the benefit of using complementary approaches based on immunological tests and the PCR method to improve the diagnosis for determination of staphylococcal enterotoxin food safety criteria in cheeses submitted to official controls and own checks.