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Food-borne diseases (FBDs) are mostly of short duration and self-limiting but may be fatal for children, aged and debilitating persons. FBDs cause high morbidity and mortality and impose a heavy burden on the gross domestic product. Of the various causes of FBDs, bacterial pathogens have been found to be the commonest. As their route of entry is faecal-oral, proper sewage disposal, self-hygenicity, less bio-aerosols in the air, potable water and over all cleanliness of the food preparation area are important to reduce contamination. Moreover, regular inspection as well as sampling is required to find out the contaminating pathogens and their characteristics.
Road-side foods are very popular in Kolkata. These are cheap, nutritious and the choices are plenty. However during summer FBDs are prevalent to the consumers. Of the various bacterial pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus is important producing staphylococcal enterotoxins. This study was undertaken to find out the occurrence and antibiotic resistance pattern of S. aureus in three important road-side sweets and snacks viz., laddu, soan papdi and ghugni.
Keywords: Food-borne diseases, Staphylococcus aureus, Antibiotic resistance, Road-side foods