Iberian ham is an uncooked, cured meat product ripened under natural uncontrolled conditions for 18 to 24 months.

Gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci are the main microbial population in Iberian ham for most of the ripening time.

Since some of these organisms are able to produce enterotoxins, adequate characterization and toxicological study are needed.

For this, 1,327 gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci, isolated from Iberian hams at different stages and locations, were characterized by physiological and biochemical tests.

Selected isolates were further characterized by guanine-cytosine (G+C) content and restriction enzyme analysis of genes coding for 16S rRNA.

The toxigenic potential of these organisms was tested with specific DNA gene probes for staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B, C, and D and confirmed by semiquantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay.

The majority of the isolates were identified as Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp.

Nonidentified gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci which were moderately halophilic and showed a 42 to 52% G+C content were detected.

A great variety of staphylococcal strains were found within the different species at any sampling time.

Two strains of Staphylococcus xylosus, one Staphylococcus cohnii strain, and four of the nonidentified organisms with 42 to 52% G+C contents hybridized with some of the DNA probes for C and D staphylococcal enterotoxin genes.

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