Search Results (134)

This study evaluated whether membrane structures can enhance thermal comfort and reduce heat- and cold-related health risks in privately owned public spaces (POPS) under representative seasonal peak conditions. Based on previous in situ measurements revealing severe summer heat stress and winter cold discomfort in two POPS in Tokyo’s Minato-ku Shibaura district, a membrane-based shelter solution is proposed and systematically assessed. Their thermal environmental effects were numerically simulated using a coupled surface energy balance (SEB) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, with evaluations focusing on human health risks and thermal comfort. Results demonstrated that in summer, membrane structures effectively improved thermal comfort by reducing the standard effective temperature (SET*) by 1.9–3.9 °C, although these SET* values still remained above the thermal comfort range. Notably, heat stress-related health risks were significantly mitigated, as deep body temperature (DBT) decreased by 1.2–1.6 °C, falling below the 38 °C heatstroke risk threshold. In winter, although the overall improvement was limited, the membrane structures still reduced cold-related health risks and extended allowable exposure duration (AED). Furthermore, auxiliary measures (e.g., mist sprays for summer and supplementary heating for winter) are recommended to further enhance thermal comfort in POPS. Full article

Background/Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) intramammary infection remains a major global dairy problem due to its contagious nature, its ability to persist and colonize teat/skin and mucosal niches, and the often-limited bacteriological cure achieved with antimicrobial therapy. Beyond udder health, it is relevant to public health because it can enter raw milk chains and serve as a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance determinants that may circulate between dairy animals and humans. Methods: We assessed S. aureus’ ecology in raw ewe milk from 75 sheep farms in Epirus (Greece) by sampling clinically healthy controls (group A) and clinical mastitis cases pre-treatment (group B), followed by resampling at the first post-withdrawal milking after penicillin/streptomycin treatment (group C1—therapeutic protocol 1), oxytetracycline treatment (group C2—therapeutic protocol 2), or enrofloxacin treatment (group C3—therapeutic protocol 3). Results: S. aureus detection was high and comparable across groups (A 23.0%, B 22.0–30.0%, C 20.0–22.0%), and paired analyses showed no significant pre–post shifts in detection/burden within therapeutic protocols (all p > 0.05). Nevertheless, persistence remained evident. The chromosomal gene mecA was detected in S. aureus strains in all groups, ranging from 13.6% in controls to 54.5% post-withdrawal in group C1, and was also present in the pre-treatment group. In paired sampling animals, mecA was mostly stable, with rare emergence or loss. Across antibiotic classes, within-animal resistance transitions were generally uncommon and non-significant (p > 0.05); β-lactam resistance was fully stable (p = 1.00). Descriptively, resistance to protein synthesis inhibitors tended to decline after therapy in protocol 1 and protocol 3, while protocol 3 showed post-treatment gains in fluoroquinolone resistance. By contrast, virulence-associated phenotype traits shifted after therapy: enterotoxigenicity increased post-withdrawal (especially in the C3 group), Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A (SEA) and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) appeared only post-therapy, Staphylococcal Enterotoxin D (SED) increased significantly in paired isolates (p = 0.002), and strong biofilm adherence increased (in C3, p = 1.5 × 10⁻⁵). Conclusions: The detection of S. aureus after therapy suggests that one possibility is that antimicrobial exposure may select for, or otherwise reshape, the residual intramammary population, rather than reliably eliminating it—an outcome that remains clinically relevant for udder health. Moreover, the persistence of mecA/methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-compatible profiles indicates that milk released to the food chain after withdrawal compliance may still harbor S. aureus with enhanced preservation capacity and significant food safety relevance. Full article

Cutaneous adnexal carcinomas (CACs) comprise a diverse group of malignant tumors that show morphological differentiation toward one of the four main adnexal structures in normal skin: hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat-apocrine glands, and sweat-eccrine glands. These tumors can arise sporadically or may be associated with rare genetic syndromes. A total of 276 CACs cases underwent hybrid capture-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) to assess all classes of genomic alterations (GA). Sequencing data were used to determine microsatellite instability (MSI) status, tumor mutational burden (TMB), genomic loss of heterozygosity (gLOH), genomic ancestry, and COSMIC mutational signatures. PD-L1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (TPS; Dako 22C3). Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher’s exact test, with false discovery rate correction via the Benjamini–Hochberg method. Sequencing was performed on primary cutaneous tumors in 131 cases (47.4%) and on local recurrence or metastatic site biopsies in 145 cases (52.5%). Across all groups, there was a male predominance (64–81%) and similar mean ages (59–63 years), with apocrine (APO) tumors occurring in older patients than eccrine (ECC) tumors (72 vs. 62 years; p = 0.001). Histologically, 173 tumors (62.7%) were sweat gland-derived (SWT), 55 (19.9%) sebaceous gland-derived (SEB), 14 (5.1%) hair follicle-derived (HRF), and 34 (12.3%) unclassified (UNK). Among SWT tumors, 150 (86.7%) were eccrine and 23 (13.3%) apocrine. SWT tumors included digital papillary adenocarcinomas (DPA, 6.9%), mucinous carcinomas (MC, 6.3%), porocarcinomas (POR, 11.0%), spiradenocarcinomas (SPR, 8.1%), syringoadenocarcinomas (SRNG, 5.8%), and 77 (44.5%) unclassified cases. The number of GA per tumor was highest in SEB compared with SWT tumors (7.9 vs. 4.9; p = 0.005) and lowest in DPA (2.1 vs. 5.0 in non-DPA; p = 0.03). No differences in ancestry distribution were observed. Compared with SWT tumors, SEB tumors exhibited higher frequencies of RB1 (38.2% vs. 8.1%; p < 0.0001) and TP53 alterations (76.4% vs. 43.4%; p = 0.0002), suggesting potential neuroendocrine differentiation. MC tumors showed significantly higher PTCH1 alterations than non-MC tumors (36.4% vs. 1.8%; p = 0.044). MSI-high status was most frequent in SEB tumors compared with all other groups (15.7% vs. 1.2%; p = 0.005), and gLOH > 16% was also more common in SEB than SWT tumors (19.6% vs. 7.2%; p = 0.081). The MMR signature occurred more frequently in SEB than SWT tumors (32.0% vs. 2.1%; p = 0.005). Mean TMB was elevated across most CACs types, ranging from 10.4 mutations/Mb in HRF to 38.8 mutations/Mb in MC, with the exceptions of APO (2.7 mut/Mb; p = 0.001) and DPA (1.4 mut/Mb; p = 0.003). PD-L1 expression was generally low and did not differ significantly between SWT and SEB tumors (37.0% vs. 33.3%; NS). Given the limited data on CAC treatment, this study provides a catalog of commonly observed GA. SEB tumors exhibited the highest frequency of genomic alterations. Prospective clinical trials are needed to determine the prognostic and predictive value of CAC-specific biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) response, which is essential for integrating novel therapies into the evolving treatment landscape. Full article

Fracture toughness is a very important mechanical attribute that affects the strength of rail steel used in high-speed rail systems. This study tests the measurement uncertainty that comes with measuring the plane strain fracture toughness (K_IC) of R350HT rail steel. We used the Single-Edge Bend (SEB) specimen to do fracture toughness testing. We used the Guide to Expressing Measurement Uncertainty (GUM)-based method to figure out how much uncertainty came from measuring the load, the crack opening displacement (COD), and the specimen’s shape and figuring out the crack length. At a 95% confidence level (k = 2), the combined standard uncertainty was found to be 0.881 MPa·m^1/2, which is the same as an expanded uncertainty of 1.761 MPa·m^1/2. The measured fracture toughness value of 40.59 ± 1.76 MPa·m^1/2 meets the standards for rail steels. The results show how important it is to include measurement uncertainty in conformity assessment methods for safety-critical railway components. They also provide an experimentally proven framework for accurate mechanical property evaluation. Full article

Bacterial toxins, such as Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) and Shiga Toxins (STX1, STX2), pose severe public health risks and significant biological threats, demanding rapid and precise qPCR detection. This study reports the initial stages of standardization for uniplex qPCR components, serving as a foundational step toward a future multiplex detection system. The annealing temperature was successfully optimized for the stx1, seb, and 16S rRNA targets, showing high consistency in Cq values and fluorescence intensities at 58.4 °C. The optimized primer ratios ensure maximum amplification efficiency while minimizing potential molecular competition. These optimized assays provide a robust foundation for the multiplex qPCR platform. Once fully validated, this protocol will enhance timely and effective responses, as well as improve preparedness and readiness within the Brazilian biodefense system. Full article

The discrepancy between the genotypic and phenotypic expression of enterotoxins in S. aureus had long been a significant challenge in toxin detection. However, the accurate and rapid application of Raman spectroscopy for the genotypic and phenotypic characterisation of S. aureus enterotoxins remains problematic. To address this, the present study utilised a single-cell Raman spectra database from 31 S. aureus isolates, acquired via a Raman laser tweezer system. When combined with convolutional neural network analysis, this approach achieved an average accuracy of 99.71% for identifying single-gene toxin types and 99.44% for multi-gene toxin types, with an average phenotypic identification accuracy of 98.71%. Notably, the phenotypic identification accuracy for the three strains carrying the sea and seb genes reached 100%, and the validation accuracy using unknown genotypes and phenotypes exceeded 85%. Furthermore, the CNN analysis identified characteristic spectral peaks for S. aureus enterotoxin genotypes at 1663–1665 cm⁻¹, 1570 cm⁻¹, and 1117–1119 cm⁻¹, corresponding to protein α-helices, guanine, and nucleic acid backbones respectively. Representative peaks for the phenotype were found at 1302–1314 cm⁻¹ and 912–923 cm⁻¹, corresponding to proteins/lipids and polysaccharides, respectively. Representative peaks for different virulence phenotypes carrying multiple enterotoxin genes were located at 1074–1076 cm⁻¹, 1253–1255 cm⁻¹, 1326 cm⁻¹, and 1327 cm⁻¹, corresponding to proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, respectively. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis of three S. aureus strains (sea+seb+, sea+seb−, sea−seb+) revealed metabolic differences in fatty acids, purines, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid, consistent with the corresponding distinct Raman spectral peaks (1458, 1179, 1406–1409 cm⁻¹). Thus, this study employed S. aureus as a proof-of-concept, establishing for the first time a method combining Raman laser tweezers with convolutional neural networks for identifying S. aureus enterotoxin genotypes and phenotypes. It clarified the Raman spectral differential peaks and their corresponding biomarkers among five classical enterotoxin genotypes and phenotypic strains, providing a novel approach for accurate toxin typing and virulence characterisation. Full article

Staphylococcus are common bacteria that can be a component of the natural microbiota of the body of human and animal hosts or cause serious infections. The aim of this study was to analyze the presence of S. aureus in samples from two sheep breeds (Świniarka and Uhruska), assess the antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence profile of these microorganisms, and perform molecular comparative analysis of these bacteria. One hundred and three isolates of S. aureus strains were obtained (including five MRSA strains) and the highest phenotypic resistance to tetracycline (46.6%), clindamycin (45.6%), erythromycin (39.8%), and penicillin (31.1%) was confirmed. The tetL gene (27.2%) and the seB gene (44.7%) were the most frequently detected in strains. Three new sequence types in the MRSA isolates (ST 9313, ST 9314, ST 9315) were identified. In conclusion, our results confirm that sheep are significant reservoirs of S. aureus, especially MRSA strains, varying in terms of both resistance and virulence and with the potential to spread between individuals in the same herd, which may pose a potential health problem. Full article

Staphylococcus aureus has been recognized as an important foodborne pathogen and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) can cause fatal infections worldwide. Of great concern is that MRSA have been found in animals and non-healthcare settings; however, knowledge about the prevalence and genetic characteristics of S. aureus, especially MRSA from animals, retail meats and market shared shopping vehicles in the same district, is limited. In this study, we collected 423 samples including handrail swabs (n = 226) of shopping trolleys and baskets from 18 supermarkets, retail meats (n = 137) and swine nasal swabs (n = 60) between 2018 and 2020 in China. S. aureus isolates were isolated and identified by PCR, and then the mecA was used to confirm the MRSA. The antibiotic resistance and virulence genes among S. aureus were also analyzed, followed by whole genome sequencing (WGS). S. aureus isolates were widely distributed in shared shopping vehicles (8.0%, 18/226), retail meats (14.6%, 20/137) and swine (18.3%, 11/60). In total, 49 S. aureus were obtained and 20 of the 49 isolates were MRSA. We firstly reported a high prevalence of MRSA in shared shopping vehicles (7.5%, 17/226), followed by raw meats (2.2%, 3/137), and 44.4% (8/18) of the 18 supermarkets possessed MRSA-positive shopping vehicles. All 20 MRSA isolates were SCCmec IVa MRSA clones. Enterotoxin genes (sea/seb) associated with S. aureus food poisoning were present in 45.0% of the 20 S. aureus isolates from retail meats and 25.0% of the 20 MRSA isolates carried enterotoxin genes. Retail meats in this study carried ST6-MRSA, a common ST type of S. aureus from food-poisoning outbreaks in China. WGS showed that the MRSA from meats harbored enterotoxin gene sea and immune evasion genes (sak and scn) associated with human infections, and were clustered with previously reported MRSA isolates from animals and humans. The MRSA isolates carrying multiple virulence genes from shopping vehicles were also clustered with previously reported MRSA isolates from humans and animals, suggesting that the exchange of MRSA isolates might occur among different niches. Our results highlighted the risk of retail meats and shared shopping vehicles in spreading antimicrobial-resistant pathogens including MRSA. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the wide spread of MRSA in shared shopping vehicles in China. Full article

It is well known that the space radiation environment, which has contributions from the trapped particles within the Van Allen belts, solar energetic particles (SEPs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), directly influences space systems. These systems rely on complex and fragile electronic devices, whose performance can be degraded because of the action of the radiation and its related phenomena: single-event effects (SEEs), displacement damages (DDs) and total ionizing dose (TID). This could cause failures to arise through various mechanisms, ranging from parametric drift failures, such as leakage current and threshold voltage, among others, to destructive effects, like single-event burnout (SEB) or single-event latch-up (SEL). These failures in electronics affect the system’s reliability and its performance, which could compromise the mission’s success. Considering this, the main objective of the SRPROTEC project is to develop and validate new composite materials with better shielding performance against space radiation to increase the radiation tolerance of microelectronic devices encapsulated with these materials. For this purpose, three composites will be synthesized using a liquid epoxy resin filled with silica as a matrix mixed in different proportions, with a high-Z filler. The presence of low-Z elements from the high hydrogen content in the polymer and the presence of high-Z fillers are expected to produce a material with good radiation shielding properties. The developed materials will be exhaustively characterized, subjecting the three composites and control samples to rheological outgassing; gamma radiation shielding; and thermal, electrical, thermomechanical and moisture absorption, among other tests. Finally, the composite with the best performance will be selected and subjected to degradation tests (thermal cycling in vacuum, thermal cycling, thermal shock and relative humidity tests) to determine its suitability for space packaging applications. Full article

Evapotranspiration (ET) plays a vital role in understanding water and energy cycles in forest ecosystems, particularly in tropical regions where rubber plantations are widespread. In this study, a rubber plantation system was used. By combining meteorological data from flux towers and 30 periods of Landsat-8 image data, we estimated the daily ET of a rubber plantation from 2022 to 2024 using the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model. Additionally, the study employed the eddy covariance method to validate the accuracy of the daily average ET estimated by the SEBS model in different source areas, in order to explore the model’s applicability. Simultaneously, we examined the key drivers influencing ET in rubber plantations by analyzing meteorological factors and physiological growth indicators. The results indicated that the SEBS model exhibited the highest estimation accuracy (R² = 0.90, RMSE = 0.43 mm, RE = 15.23%) for the rubber plantation ET in the region 1.5 km away from the flux tower, and the retrieval accuracy of 30 periods of ET was higher (RMSE ≤ 1 mm, RE ≤ 46.84%), indicating that the SEBS model was well-suited for estimating ET in rubber plantations. From 2022 to 2024, the daily average and monthly cumulative ET showed a unimodal distribution, with high summer and low winter values; the average monthly accumulated ET during the wet season (102.75 mm) was found to be significantly greater than that during the dry season (50.61 mm). On the daily and monthly scales, the correlation between atmospheric pressure, temperature, and ET was the most significant. These findings enhance our understanding of rubber plantation water use patterns and support the application of remote sensing models for regional water resource management, offering valuable insights for optimizing irrigation strategies and ensuring sustainable rubber production in tropical regions. Full article

This study evaluated the microbiological quality, presence of virulence genes, and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in sheep and goat milk and traditional Romanian dairy products (Telemea and Burduf cheeses). Raw milk contained high levels of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS; 5.2 log CFU/mL) and E. coli (4.3 log CFU/mL), with several samples exceeding legal limits. Sour cream exhibited moderate CPS (1.2–1.9 log CFU/g) and E. coli (0.4–3.12 log CFU/g) counts, with occasional non-compliance. Cheeses had low CPS (0.52–0.84 log CFU/g) and E. coli (0.37–0.89 log CFU/g) levels, all within permissible limits. Molecular analysis detected the nuc gene in 21 sheep milk samples, of which 85.7% also carried the sea gene and 14.3% carried seb. Additionally, two goat milk samples tested positive for both nuc and sea. Three Telemea cheese samples were also sea-positive. Among raw milk samples, 10 E. coli isolates carried stx1, and two additionally harbored hly, while dairy products were negative for E. coli virulence genes. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed high resistance of S. aureus to penicillin (90.5%) and ampicillin (85.7%), with multidrug resistance among sea- and seb-positive isolates. STEC isolates showed resistance to ampicillin (70%), tetracycline (50%), and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (40%), but remained susceptible to amoxicillin–clavulanic acid. Full article

Due to the poor comprehensive performance of traditional rubber powder-modified asphalt (RA) and issues like easy segregation in rubber powder/Styrene–Butadiene–Styrene (SBS) composite-modified asphalt, the application of RA in high-grade highways is limited. This study combined SEBS (Styrene–Ethylene–Butylene–Styrene) and SBS to form SEBS/SBS (SE-S) and investigated the effect of the SE-S system on asphalt performance. The activated desulfurized rubber powder (ARP) was prepared via mechanical thermal oxidation and used to produce ARP/SE-S composite-modified asphalt (ASSA) combined with SE-S. The performance and modification mechanism of ASSA were evaluated through conventional, rheological, and microstructural tests. The results showed that SEBS improved storage stability more effectively than SBS. With SEBS:SBS = 0.4:0.6 and a SE-S content of 2–4%, the modified asphalt exhibited better overall performance. The synergy of ARP and SE-S enhances both low-temperature crack resistance and high-temperature deformation resistance, endowing ASSA with excellent viscoelastic rheological properties. The modification mechanism of ASSA was primarily physical and the changes in chemical bonds were mainly caused by decrosslinking of the rubber powder during ARP preparation. SE-S and ARP fully swelled and crosslinked in the asphalt, exhibiting excellent compatibility and endowing the ASSA with superior stability and performance. Full article

Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is a common foodborne illness caused by the ingestion of enterotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus, posing a persistent global public health concern. Although regional differences in implicated food types and predominant enterotoxins have been reported, the underlying factors remain unclear. In this study, we systematically investigated the effects of nutritional factors on the growth, biofilm formation, and production of two representative enterotoxins, SEA and SEB, by S. aureus. Specifically, we evaluated bacterial responses to different concentrations of NaCl, glucose, and tryptone. NaCl suppressed growth, biofilm formation and enterotoxin production in a dose-dependent manner. Glucose markedly inhibited both bacteria growth and enterotoxin production, with a stronger effect on SEB than SEA. In contrast, tryptone promoted bacterial growth and moderately enhanced biofilm formation but did not significantly affect enterotoxin production. Importantly, even under comparable bacterial counts, the types and amounts of SEs produced varied substantially depending on the nutrient composition. These findings provide new insights into the nutrient-dependent regulation of virulence in S. aureus and highlight the importance of considering environmental and nutritional factors when assessing risks of SFP and designing effective food safety strategies. Full article

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a major zoonotic and foodborne pathogen with substantial One Health implications, yet its prevalence, resistance, and virulence potential within the aquaculture sector in Nigeria remains poorly characterized. Objectives: To supplement existing information, this current study investigated the prevalence, clonal distribution, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence gene profiles of S. aureus isolates from fish, fish water, and occupationally exposed fish handlers in Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria. Methods: A total of 607 samples—comprising 465 surface swabs from raw and processed fish, 36 fish water samples, and 106 nasal swabs from fish handlers—were processed using selective culture, biochemical tests, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, DNA microarray analysis, spa typing, and SCCmec typing. Results: S. aureus was recovered from 16.5% (100/607) of the samples. Fourteen (14%) isolates were methicillin-resistant (MRSA), harboring mecA and SCCmec types IV and V, with a combined MRSA prevalence of 2.3%. Multidrug resistance was observed in 52.2% of isolates (mean Multiple Antimicrobial Resistance index: 0.23), with 19 resistance genes spanning nine antimicrobial classes—including heavy metal and biocide resistance. Twenty-eight spa types across 13 clonal complexes (CCs) were identified, with CC1, CC5, and CC8 predominating. The detection of shared spa types between fish and handlers indicates potential cross-contamination. Detected virulence genes included those for accessory gene regulators (agrI-IV), Pantone–Valentine leucocidin (lukFS-PV), toxic shock syndrome (tsst-1), hemolysins (hla, hlb, hld/hlIII, hlgA), biofilm formation (icaA, icaD), immune evasion (chp, scn, sak), enterotoxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, egc, and others), exfoliative toxins (etA, etB), epidermal cells differentiation (edinA, edinB), and capsular types (cap5, cap8). Conclusions: This study reveals that the aquaculture sector in Southeast Nigeria serves as a significant reservoir of genetically diverse, multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains with robust virulence profiles. These findings highlight the necessity of integrated One Health surveillance and targeted interventions addressing antimicrobial use and hygiene practices within aquatic food systems. Full article

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is a high-priority foodborne pathogen contributing to several food poisoning outbreaks. Methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA), pose significant public health concerns due to their potential for serious illness, antibiotic resistance, and transmission within both healthcare and community settings. These bacteria can cause numerous infections, ranging from skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening conditions like bloodstream infections, pneumonia, and endocarditis. Although several publications are concerned with Staphylococcus aureus contamination in ready-to-eat (RTE) food products, little published data is available about its prevalence in pizza, which is widely distributed and consumed worldwide. Methods: The current study is intended to determine the prevalence, virulence genes, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of S. aureus in three hundred ready-to-eat pizza samples (100 each of meat, chicken, and canned tuna pizzas) collected from different restaurants in Mansoura City, Egypt. The typical colonies on Baird–Parker selective agar supplemented with egg yolk tellurite emulsion were counted and further confirmed based on Gram staining, coagulase testing, catalase testing, carbohydrate fermentation, and thermostable nuclease production. The genomic DNA of the confirmed coagulase-positive isolates was prepared and subjected to PCR analyses for detecting the nuc gene, mecA (methicillin resistance gene), and vancomycin resistance gene (vanA), as well as six selected S. aureus virulence genes: sea, seb, sec, sed, hla, and tsst. The antimicrobial resistance profile of the S. aureus isolates was determined against 16 antimicrobial agents belonging to six classes using the agar disc diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines (CLSI), except for oxacillin and vancomycin, which were assessed using the MIC test. Results: The results revealed that 56% (56/100), 56% (56/100), and 40% (40/100) of chicken, meat, and canned tuna pizzas were positive for S. aureus, with an overall prevalence of 50.7% (152/300). All 560 isolates (100%) were verified as S. aureus based on molecular confirmation of the nuc gene. Interestingly, 48.6% (272/560) and 8.6% (48/560) of the isolates tested were identified as methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA) through detection of mecA and vanA genes, respectively. Among the S. aureus isolates tested, the hla gene was detected in 87.1% (488/560), while the enterotoxin genes sea, seb, sec, and sed were identified in 50% (280/560), 78.6% (440/560), 9.8% (55/560), and 24.5% (137/560) of isolates, respectively. All recovered isolates (n = 560) were classified as multidrug-resistant and were resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, and ampicillin. Moreover, 77% (431/560), 24% (134/560), 8% (45/560), and 8.6% (48/560) of isolates were resistant to cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and vancomycin, respectively. Conclusions: The current study emphasizes that ready-to-eat pizza is highly contaminated with multidrug-resistant S. aureus, highlighting the urgent need for rationalizing antibiotic use in both veterinary and human medicine to prevent the transmission of resistant bacteria through the food chain. Additionally, strict adherence to good hygienic practices throughout all stages of the food chain is essential to minimize overall contamination and enhance food safety. Full article