BEHAVIOUR OF Aeromonas hydrophila IN SALTED SWORDFISH SAMPLES

A challenge test for Aeromonas hydrophila in salted swordfish samples was carried out. Particularly, 24 samples (250g) were experimentally contaminated, salted and stored at two different temperature regimes (fluctuating – F group - and non fluctuating – NF group – regime). The count of A. hydrophila, Enterobacteria and Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as well as the determination of pH and aw were performed at 0, 19 43, 163, 187, 230, 320 and 368 hours whereas the temperature was monitored continuously by using 6 data-loggers. In both group, the mean concentrations of A. hydrophila did not exceed Log 3 cfu/g and decreased below the mean value of Log 1 cfu/g after 368 hours. However in the F group the A. hydrophila growth was slower and the decrease appeared slightly higher than NF group and this suggests the temperature fluctuations induces a more pronounced behaviour variability of A. hydrophila under stressing conditions

HEAVY METALS IN THE HOST-PARASITE SYSTEM LEPIDOPUS CAUDATUS- ANISAKIS LARVAE

The Authors have investigated on the relationship between pollution in the host parasite-system Lepidopus caudatus-Anisakis larvae. Lead, mercury and cadmium concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry in the larvae and in the muscle of fish host. Hg concentrations were often higher in parasites than host muscles. Finally, some hygienic and inspective implications were discussed

BEHAVIOUR OF Aeromonas hydrophila IN SALTED SWORDFISH SAMPLES

A challenge test for Aeromonas hydrophila in salted swordfish samples was carried out. Particularly, 24 samples (250g) were experimentally contaminated, salted and stored at two different temperature regimes (fluctuating – F group - and non fluctuating – NF group – regime). The count of A. hydrophila, Enterobacteria and Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as well as the determination of pH and aw were performed at 0, 19 43, 163, 187, 230, 320 and 368 hours whereas the temperature was monitored continuously by using 6 data-loggers. In both group, the mean concentrations of A. hydrophila did not exceed Log 3 cfu/g and decreased below the mean value of Log 1 cfu/g after 368 hours. However in the F group the A. hydrophila growth was slower and the decrease appeared slightly higher than NF group and this suggests the temperature fluctuations induces a more pronounced behaviour variability of A. hydrophila under stressing conditions

L\u2019assistenza psicologica nei trapianti d\u2019organo

The aim of this report is introducing with a series of psychological, psychiatric and psychosocial problems, that can arise, at every point, in the procedure of organ transplantations. Different areas of intervention are considered: the assistance to the patients and their families during the pre-and post-operative periods; the evaluation of transplant recipients' quality of life; ethical and psychological problems of living kidney donation; psychosocial support to donors' families; the training of the intensive therapy units to entertain relationships with donors' relatives; the delicate psychological aspects of transplantation during childhood. The sense of awareness about these matters is growing in Italy too, and many initiatives of psychological and psychiatric help are being developed in collaboration with several transplantation centres

Genetic relationships and biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from the smoked salmon industry

Among pathogens, L. monocytogenes has the capability to persist on Food Processing Environment (FPE), first of all posing safety issues, then economic impact on productivity. The aim of this work was to determine the influence of biofilm forming-ability and molecular features on the persistence of 19 Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained from FPE, raw and processed products of a cold-smoked salmon processing plant. To verify the phenotypic and genomic correlations among the isolates, different analyses were employed: serotyping, Clonal Complex (CC), core genome Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (cgMLST) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) clustering, and evaluation of the presence of virulence- and persistence-associated genes. From our results, the biofilm formation was significantly higher (*P < 0.05) at 37 °C, compared to 30 and 12 °C, suggesting a temperature-dependent behaviour. Moreover, the biofilm-forming ability showed a strain-specific trend, not correlated with CC or with strains persistence. Instead, the presence of internalin (inL), Stress Survival Islet (SSI) and resistance to erythromycin (ermC) genes was correlated with the ability to produce biofilms. Our data demonstrate that the genetic profile influences the adhesion capacity and persistence of L. monocytogenes in food processing plants and could be the result of environmental adaptation in response to the external selective pressure