The invention provides primers designed on base of the difference of sequences among staphylococcal enterotoxin subtypes, i.e., C.sub.1, C.sub.2 and C.sub.3. The invention also provides a PCR method for detecting subtypes of staphylococcal enterotoxin type C by using the above-mentioned primers. The invention relates also to DNA probes useful for the identification of subtypes C.sub.1, C.sub.2 and C.sub.3 of staphylococcal enterotoxin type C in various food and clinical samples. The primers of the invention comprises following sequences: TABLE-US-00001 ENTC1 5'-ACAGA GTTAT TAAAT GAAGG-3'; ENTC2 5'-GTATC AGCAA CTAAA GTTAT-3'; ENTC3 5'-AAGAG ATTAT TTATT TCACGT-3'; ENTCR 5'-ATCAT ACCAA AAAGT ATTGC-3'.