Staphylococcal Enterotoxins (SEs) have been raising health concerns for food safety due to their association with staphylococcal foodborne poisoning (SFP). As superantigens, they also cause the life threatening toxic shock syndrome (TSS), the transmission of which via food cannot be ruled out despite the lack of epidemiological evidence. To date, at least 23 of these exotoxins are known and separated into SEs and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin-like (SEl) depending on whether or not they invoke emesis. This work presents an up-to-date overview on the presently known SEs/SEls from the perspective of their classification, pathogenesis, and genetic organisation. The incidence of these toxins in dairy products, the risk this poses to the public health, and possible control means are also reviewed.
Keywords: Staphylococcal enterotoxins; dairy products; pathogenicity; staphylococcal food poisoning; toxic shock syndrome.