Growth and survival of Staphylococcus aureus were investigated in 52 lots of raw ewe's milk Manchego cheese manufactured and ripened under different conditions. A 5.8-fold reduction in S. aureus counts after 60 days of ripening was obtained by inoculating milk with 1% Streptococcus lactis culture, and a further 2.0-fold reduction could be achieved by adding 0.1% Lactobacillus plantarum culture. Curd heating temperature had a significant effect on S. aureus survival, with counts 4-5 times lower in cheese from 30 degrees C curd than in cheese from curd heated at 36-40 degrees C. Ripening temperature was the parameter with the greatest influence on S. aureus counts, which reached in cheese cured at 10 degrees C or 20 degrees C for 60 days levels 10 and 100 times lower, respectively, than in cheese held at 5 degrees C.