1,721,034 research outputs found
Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among food handlers: An ongoing challenge in public health
Full text linkStaphylococcus aureus is a commensal bacterium known to colonize the skin, nares, and gastrointestinal tract of humans. Asymptomatic workers can contaminate food via manual contact or through respiratory secretions thus becoming the source of staphylococcal food poisoning. This gastrointestinal intoxication occurs after the ingestion of food contaminated by enterotoxin-producing Staphylococcus aureus. Although most individuals overcome the infection without medical assistance and make a full recovery, in rare cases the infection can be life-threatening. Hence, Staphylococcus aureus food contamination represents a serious problem for both the food industry and healthcare systems. In the last few decades, many studies have investigated the prevalence of carriers among food handlers. We present an overview of all investigations carried out on nasal carriers working in different food industry settings highlighting the risk associated with cross-contamination
Incidence and role of Salmonella in seafood safety
No full textSeafood products are appreciated worldwide for their high nutritional value and are increasingly popular
among consumers. Consumer preferences range from fresh products, eaten raw or minimally processed, to
variously prepared (salted, smoked, cured, canned) and ready-to-eat (RTE) products. Moreover, seafood
products are a major food category in international trade and are frequently shipped very long distances. All
these factors expose seafood to various contaminants, including those of microbiological origins, such as
Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella in seafood may derive from contamination occurring in the natural
aquatic environment, in aquaculture or during processing. In addition, the isolation of Salmonella serovars that
are resistant and multiresistant to antibiotics continues to raise concerns. In this review various aspects
associated with the microbiological risk posed by the presence of Salmonella in seafood are examined. The
most recent data of incidence are presented, and some prevention and control strategies are considered
Evaluation of the environmental impact of microbial aerosols generated by wastewater treatment plants utilizing different aeration systems
No full textValutazione dell’impatto ambientale di aerosol microbici generati da impianti di depurazione che utilizzano sistemi diversi di aerazione
No full text
Contenuto microbico di aerosols generati da impianti di depurazione che utilizzano differenti sistemi di aerazione
No full textA new platform for Real-Time PCR detection of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157 in milk
No full textIntoxications and infections caused by food-borne pathogens represent an increasing public health
problem, and diagnostic tests in multiplex format are needed for the rapid identification of food
contaminations caused by more than one microbial species. We have developed a multiple PCR-based
platform for the simultaneous detection of the widespread milk-associated pathogens Salmonella spp.,
Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157. The assay combines an enrichment step in a medium
properly formulated for the simultaneous growth of target pathogens, a DNA isolation method, and
a multiplex Real-Time PCR detection system based either on dual-labelled probes (mRT-PCR), or on
melting curve analysis (mHRM). The second, producing a distinct peak for each amplification product,
allows the qualitative assessment of pathogen presence. Moreover, the internal amplification control
(IAC) included in the reaction, ensuring the reliability of results, complies with quality management
programmes. Inclusivity and exclusivity were 100% each, with a detection limit of 1 CFU for each
pathogen in a total of five 25 ml-aliquots of raw milk, and a duration of two working days.
The assay represents an alternative approach for the qualitative detection of the cited bacterial species,
suitable for a relatively inexpensive screening of several milk samples, reducing the turnaround time and
the workload
Valutazione dello stato igienico di un ammendante organico naturale ottenuto per compostaggio
No full textDetection of Listeria monocytogenes using a commercial PCR kit and different DNA extraction methods
No full textThe aim of our work was to evaluate a new commercial test kit for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes by PCR, using different DNA extraction methods. Food samples (pork sausage and ‘‘mozzarella’’ cheese) were spiked with known concentrations of L. monocytogenes and culture-enriched for 24 h. DNA extracted using three commercial kits and two standard methods, was amplified in speciesspecificPCR employing a L. monocytogenes PCR Detection Kit (Diatheva). The PCR-based method proved to be a reliable means of
detecting the pathogen in food samples independently from the extraction procedure used, even for a contamination cell number of 1 cfu/g before culture enrichment. The molecular assay, showing perfect agreement with standard microbiological tests and a considerably shortened
analysis time, provides a sensitive and rapid alternative for applications in the testing of foods for microbiological contamination, and highlights the potential of PCR technology in routine food control
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