الملخص

The aim of this study was to assess the resistance and survival of S. aureus under different environmental stresses (temperature variations and Salinity levels) in domestic and imported poultry meat marketed. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) had been increasingly highlighted due to both its capability of eliciting food poisoning and its ability of causing invasive infections in human beings. The extraordinary ability of this bacterium for surviving under variable environmental conditions such as temperature variations, salinity changes stress results in its being an enduring risk within the chain of poultry production and supply systems. A total of one hundreds poultry meat samples were collected as frozen meat from local markets and fresh meat from butchers (fifty for each one) in Karbala province / Iraq. The period of collection beginning from October 2025 and till the end February 2026, all samples were collected by sterile cold containers, and immediately transport in ice boxes to microbiological laboratory in the university of Karbala, College of Veterinary Medicine for bacteriological investigation. The results were shown a great effect of refrigeration on 8̊ C (0.50 log) for 2 days and cooking at 75̊ (>6.26 log) for 5 mins and low effect of freezing and there is impact effect of salinity (Na Cl) 10 %( 4.28 log) on bacterial growth. This study demonstrated that the cooking and salinity of poultry meat products are unfavorable for S. aureus survival and growth and that the thermal process used during manufacture can limit staphylococcal contamination. This study concluded that ,levels of contamination of the poultry meat products are low when refrigerated temperature or  absent in salinity is used for storage of the final product, and killing bacteria in cooking products before consumption