The presence of aflatoxin M1 on processed milk in the Republic of Kosovo

Aflatoxins are mycotoxins of major concern to the dairy industry. Given the fact that aflatoxins M1 mycotoxins can cause toxic effects called mycotoxicosis. It has been reported that mycotoxins are carcinogenic, tumorigenic, and dermatological in a large number of organisms and cause hepatic carcinoma in humans. This study aims to identify the quantity of mycotoxins M1 in dairy products used by consumers in the Republic of Kosovo. According to the results obtained from the analyzes of processed milk samples we have come to the conclusion that the content of aflatoxin M1 in all types of dairy products is not allowed limits according to the regulation in force for the safety of food products

Infected Soil Samples by Bacillus Anthracis, Confirmed by PCR

Anthrax in Albania is an endemic disease characterized by few outbreaks involving a very low number of animals.  19 samples of soil coming from burial sites of different regions of Albania  were examined. The analysis of soil samples revealed that 11 of them were contaminated with anthrax spores.The analysis of CanSNPs showed that all isolates belong to lineage A major subgroup A Br. 008/009 (TransEurasian or TEA strains). The MLVA test at 15 loci showed three different genotypes: Albania GT/1, Albania GT / 2and Albania GT/3. Keywords: Bacillus anthracis, Albania, Real time PCR, MLVA, CanSNPs

Model development and initial characterization of <i>Escherichia coli</i> in the shellfish-producing area of Butrinti Lagoon

The purpose of this research was to estimate the correlation between hydrochemicals and Escherichia coli contamination in Mytilus galloprovincialis by using multi-linear regression and statistically processing the monthly mean results. This study was conducted in the traditional cultivation of M. galloprovincialis, sampled and analyzed (n=136) for E. coli microbial analysis with ISO 16649-3. During the years 2015-2017, seawater was measured with a multiparameter apparatus, where four variables [dissolved oxygen (n=115), temperature (n=127), pH (n=115), salinity (n=127), and local area rainfall monitoring (n=23)] were taken into consideration. The results were compared and shown to have a significant correlation, allowing for the quantification of the impact resulting from adjustments made to the monthly mean computation. During the study period, statistical performance for each year was estimated R2=94.4% (2015), R2=46.8%, and R2=97.5% (2017)

Isolation of C. Sakazakii and Concentration of Enterobacteriaceae in Kitchen’s Neonatal Intensive Care (NIC)

International Commission for Microbiological Specification for Foods ranked Cronobacter sakazakii as "Severe hazard for restricted populations, life-threatening or substantial chronic sequelae or long duration" (ICMSF, 2002). Among infants at greatest risk are infants less than 2 months of age. This research aimed to get more insight the habitat, to control the biological risk of the hospital kitchen's environment at the University Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology "Queen Geraldine", where the powered infant formula is prepared. Efficiency of risk control must be verified through the application of microbiological monitoring plan that provides application of microbiological environmental criteria, the proper cleaning of equipment used in production lines, control of the final product during their shelf live, collection of samples from the raw material, surfaces and environment as well as to take measures during preparation and reconstitution of powered infant formulae. This study was performed to determine the frequency distribution of C. sakazakii and the concentration of Enterobacteriaceae in different sampling areas of the kitchen. In order to identify potential environmental reservoirs we have analyzed 60 samples from the kitchen areas as well as personal hands. At the end, we have quantified Enterobacteriaceae and isolate C. sakazakii from the total of 60 samples. We have detected the presence of C. sakazakii in two environmental samples (3.3%) of the cases. Care should be taken while preparing storing and handling PIF and rules should be respected to meet the highest level of microbiological safety in hospital/nursery as defined in MRA Series 10 (FAO/WHO 2004).Keywords: PIF, Cronobacter sakazakii, food safety, Enterobacteriaceae

Ante-mortem and Post-mortem Inspection and Relationship between Findings in a North Albanian Pig Slaughterhouse

Simple Summary In European Union abattoirs, the safety of meat is dependent on the favorable opinion from an official veterinarian, in accordance with the current legislation. From this perspective, the feedback generated from the ante-mortem visit and the post-mortem inspection can be investigated to control the health and welfare conditions of the animals in the pre-slaughter phases. From this perspective, we evaluated the ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection outcomes of slaughtered pigs in northern Albania and correlated the results in order to gain insight into the conditions and injuries of pigs slaughtered outside the European context and to extend knowledge on the possible relationship between ante-mortem and post-mortem relief. Dyspnea and tail, skin, and ear lesions were the most frequently observed conditions before slaughter, while pleuritis, pneumonia, liver alterations, white spots on the liver, and pericarditis were the most frequent lesions after slaughter. A significant increase in the total number of post-mortem findings was also observed as the number of ante-mortem findings increased. Overall, the prevalence of the findings observed in this study falls within the broad range of the data in the literature, but additional information should be collected during meat inspection so as to better understand the relationship between ante- and post-mortem outcomes. In June 2014, Albania was granted EU candidate status, thus starting a process of compliance with the membership criteria. In this context, a modern meat inspection approach in line with the European legislation was applied to a pig slaughterhouse in northern Albania in order to investigate the ante-mortem (AM) and post-mortem (PM) conditions and the relationship between these findings. For this purpose, 3930 pigs divided into 35 batches were evaluated over a 3-month period. The most frequent AM conditions recorded were tail lesions and dyspnea (9.1%), followed by skin (8.9%) and ear lesions (8.5%), while in the PM inspections, pleuritis was the most frequently observed condition (10.2%), followed by pneumonia (8.5%), liver alterations (5.7%), milk spot liver (3.8%), and pericarditis (3.3%). With the exception of liver alterations, the other PM lesions mentioned were positively associated with lesions on the ears (OR = 1.036; p &lt; 0.001) and skin (OR = 1.026; p = 0.011) and dyspnea (OR = 1.021; p = 0.005), confirming the link between these variables and the health and welfare conditions of pigs on farms. Overall, the evidence that emerged from this Albanian slaughterhouse can be considered in line with other European contexts, especially in light of the considerable variability in the data present in the literature