A total of 68 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from different human clinical samples in the North of Palestine were examined to detect staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes A (sea), B (seb), C (sec), D (sed) and (see). Of the total isolates examined, 41.2% (28/68) were enterotoxigenic S. aureus. Twelve strains (42.9%) of enterotoxigenic S. aureus harbored seagene, ten strains (35.7%) were carried see- gene, six strains (21.4%) were positive for sec-gene. None of these enterotoxigenic S. aureus isolates harbored more than one of toxin genes. The presence of these toxin genes and other genes not be detected here might play a role in process of pathogenesis of S. aureus disease other than food poisoning but this cannot be substantiated by the results of the present study.

Emirates Medical Journal (2006); 24(2)