Contribution of the autochthonous lactic acid bacteria population in a\ud production of raw milk Mozzarella cheese- CONTRIBUTO DELLA POPOLAZIONE LATTICA AUTOCTONA\ud IN UNA PRODUZIONE DI MOZZARELLA AL LATTE CRUDO\ud CON STARTER TERMOFILI COMMERCIALI

Mozzarella cheese is one of the most popular members of the Pasta Filata cheeses.The present research was aimed at\ud investigating the microbial population of a raw milk Mozzarella cheese manufacture\ud produced in the hinterland of the Marche region by using a commercial starter\ud culture of thermophilic cocci. At this aim, both molecular and phenotypic\ud assays were performed. The polyphasic approach utilized revealed an high diversity\ud of the autochthonous LAB population investigated, both at the species and\ud strain level.\ud Keywords: Mozzarella cheese, autochthonous lactic acid bacteria, RAPD, PFGE,\ud acidifying activit

Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in cows' and ewes' bulk tank milk samples from selected dairy farms of Central Italy

The prevalence of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, in cattle and sheep raw milk farms was determined in Central Italy, an area in which dairy production plays an important economic role. Milk samples (n. 189), collected from 66 dairy farms in 2012–2013, were tested by a commercial real-time PCR assay. Seventeen dairy farms had at least one positive milk sample; percent positive was higher for cattle (50%) than sheep (21%) farms. Concerning milk, 15% of samples tested overall gave a positive result, with the highest percentage of positivity observed for bovine milk compared with sheep milk (41% and 12%, respectively). In the only bovine farm repeatedly sampled during the study, C. burnetii contamination was persistently found for almost a year. The prevalence calculated for the sheep farms showed a discontinuous trend with a maximum peak in February. The results obtained underline the widespread presence of the pathogen in the considered geographical area, giving new epidemiological information. Since the milk route of elimination is a potential vehicle of infection for farmers, veterinarians and for dairy stakeholders in general, BTM screening by real-time PCR can be applied as a useful surveillance tool both for the identification of infected flocks and implementation of control programmes

Identification and functional traits of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Ciauscolo salami produced in Central Italy

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from Ciauscolo salami produced in Marche Region of Central Italy, and LAB strains be-longing to our laboratory collection were examined for their capability to survive at low pH and bile, to adhere to Caco-2cells, and for antibiotic resistance. LAB fromCiauscolo were identifiedbyARDRAandRAPD-PCR. Our study showed that all LAB strains hadgood adaptation to gastric juice andmoderate tolerance to bile. The adhesiveness was variable among strains but significantly lower in LAB from food. Antibiotic resistance was broadly spread among food strains, with level of resistance exceeding 15% for all the antibiotics tested. The resistance determi-nantserm(B) andtet(M) were found in nine strains of food origin (21.4%)whiletet(L) in one strain of our collec-tion (5%). Our work suggests that fermented foods are valuable sources of bacterial strains with functional traits of intestinal lactobacilli. These bacteria may be further studied for their use in probiotic applications

Monitoraggio di fauna ittica nelle zone interessate da barriere artificiali sommerse nelle acque costiere adriatiche della Regione Abruzzo

Le Province di Teramo e Pescara hanno installato tre barriere artificiali sommerse costituite da moduli in calcestruzzo e da massi naturali nelle acque costiere della regione Abruzzo per il ripopolamento della fauna ittica e per impedire la pesca a strascico illegale, utilizzando specifici finanziamenti europei. Le Province hanno affidato all’Istituto G. Caporale l’incarico di monitorare l’evoluzione delle popolazioni nectobentoniche mediante 3 campionamenti annuali in ciascuna barriera artificiale. Questo lavoro riporta i risultati dello studio condotto dal 2005 al 2007, ottenuti comparando le catture effettuate nelle aree interessate dalle barriere con quelle dei siti di controllo attraverso l’uso di alcuni indici di diversità. Le aree interessate da barriere artificiali mostrano una maggiore diversità e ricchezza di specie rispetto alle aree di controllo. Pertanto le barriere artificiali possono contribuire sia a risolvere i problemi legati allo scarso reddito della pesca artigianale e all’eccessivo sfruttamento delle risorse alieutiche, sia all’avvio di quei processi di diversificazione degli habitat che facilitano l’incremento della diversità biologica

Monitoring of ichthyic fauna in artificial reefs along the Adriatic coast of the Abruzzi Region of Italy

With the support of European Community funds, three submerged artificial reefs composed of concrete cubes, bell-shaped modules and natural rocks were deployed along the Adriatic coast of the Abruzzi Region to increase the fish population and to prevent illegal trawling. The Provincial governments of Teramo and Pescara requested the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’ to monitor nectobenthic populations. Three sampling operations were conducted each year for each artificial reef. The authors present the results of a study conducted between 2005 and 2007, comparing the catches from the artificial reefs with those from the control sites using several diversity indexes. Artificial reef areas revealed greater species diversity and richness than the control sites. This study demonstrates the value of artificial reefs in response to the problem of low income, non-commercial fisheries as well as to the issue of over-exploitation of halieutic resources. In addition, the authors suggest that artificial reefs may be capable of activating habitat diversification processes that will increase biodiversity

Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in cows’ and ewes’ bulk tank milk samples from selected dairy farms of Central Italy

The prevalence of Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, in cattle and sheep raw milk farms was determined in Central Italy, an area in which dairy production plays an important economic role. Milk samples (n. 189), collected from 66 dairy farms in 2012–2013, were tested by a commercial real-time PCR assay. Seventeen dairy farms had at least one positive milk sample; percent positive was higher for cattle (50%) than sheep (21%) farms. Concerning milk, 15% of samples tested overall gave a positive result, with the highest percentage of positivity observed for bovine milk compared with sheep milk (41% and 12%, respectively). In the only bovine farm repeatedly sampled during the study, C. burnetii contamination was persistently found for almost a year. The prevalence calculated for the sheep farms showed a discontinuous trend with a maximum peak in February. The results obtained underline the widespread presence of the pathogen in the considered geographical area, giving new epidemiological information. Since the milk route of elimination is a potential vehicle of infection for farmers, veterinarians and for dairy stakeholders in general, BTM screening by real-time PCR can be applied as a useful surveillance tool both for the identification of infected flocks and implementation of control programmes