Gastroenteritis Outbreak at Holiday Resort, Central Italy

Gastroenteritis Outbreak at Holiday Resort, Central Ital

Thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in chicken and bovine meat in Italy: Prevalence, level of contamination and molecular characterization of isolates

Campylobacter species are common foodborne pathogens associated with cases of human gastroenteritis worldwide. A detailed understanding of the prevalence, contamination levels and molecular characteristics of Campylobacter spp. in cattle and chicken, which are likely the most important sources of human contamination, is imperative. A collection of 1243 poultry meat samples (665 chicken breasts and 578 chicken thighs) and 1203 bovine meat samples (689 hamburgers and 514 knife-cut meat preparations) were collected at retail outlets, in randomly selected supermarkets located in different Italian regions during one year. Of these samples, 17.38% of the poultry meat and 0.58% of the bovine meat samples tested positive for Campylobacter, of which 131 were Campylobacter jejuni (57.96%) and 95 were Campylobacter coli (42.03%). Campylobacter isolates were genotyped with the aim of assessing the genetic diversity, population structure, source distribution and Campylobacter transmission route to humans. All isolates were molecularly characterized by pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and further genotyped using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and fla-SVR sequencing to gain better insight into the population structure. Antibiotic resistance was also investigate. The highest levels of resistance among chicken strains were observed for ciprofloxacin (88.25%), nalidixic acid (81.45%) and tetracycline (75.6%). PFGE analysis revealed 73 pulsotypes for C. jejuni and 54 pulsotypes for C. coli, demonstrating the existance of different and specific clones circulating in Italy. MLST of C.jejuni isolates mainly clustered in the CC353, CC354, CC21, CC206 and CC443; while C.coli isolates clustered only in CC828. The most common flaA alleles were 287 for C. jejuni and 66 for C. coli. Our study confirms that poultry meat is the main source of Campylobacteriosis, whereas red meat had a low level of contamination suggesting a minor role in transmission. The high presence of Campylobacter in retail chicken meat, paired with its increased resistance to antimicrobials with several multidrug resistance profiles detected, is alarming and represents a persistent threat to public health

Outbreak of unusualSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium monophasic variant 1,4 [5],12:i:-, Italy, June 2013 to September 2014

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Characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from food for human consumption

An investigation was conducted to evaluate Staphylococcus aureus contamination in various types of food of animal origin. Of the 350 samples examined, 14.0% were found to be contaminated with S. aureus. Prevalence rates varied according to type, namely: 19.3% for fresh meat products, 13.3% for fresh cheeses, 3.6% for bakery products and 7.7% for deli products. The isolated S. aureus strains then underwent 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse latex agglutination tests to identify enterotoxigenic strains. The results were compared with data obtained by subjecting the same strains to tests for the genes coding for the S. aureus enterotoxins (SEs) sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei and toxic shock syndrome toxin—1 (TSST—1). Reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA) testing revealed that 16.3% of strains (8/49) produced enterotoxins, while on PCR, 48.97% (24/49) were found to carry one or more genes for the production of SEs, and were therefore potentially enterotoxigenic

Caratterizzazione di ceppi di Staphylococcus aureus isolati da alimenti destinati all’uomo

È stata condotta un’indagine per valutare la contaminazione da Staphylococcus aureus di alcune categorie di alimenti di origine animale. Dei 350 prodotti esaminati il 14,0% è risultato contaminato da S. aureus, con prevalenze variabili a seconda del gruppo di alimenti considerato: 19,3% per i preparati di carne fresca; 13,3% formaggi freschi; 3,6% per i prodotti di pasticceria e 7,7% per le preparazioni gastronomiche. I ceppi di S. aureus isolati sono stati sottoposti a conferma dell’identificazione della regione16S rDNA e successivamente sottoposti al test di agglutinazione inversa al lattice (SET-RPLA, Oxoid) per individuare quelli enterotossigeni. I risultati sono stati confrontati con i dati ottenuti sottoponendo gli stessi ceppi alla ricerca dei geni codificanti le enterotossine (SE) sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei e la Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1). Al test RPLA (8/49) il 16,3% dei ceppi sono risultati produttori di enterotossine mentre alla PCR (24/49) il 48,97% sono risultati portatori di uno o più geni per la produzione di SE e, quindi, potenzialmente enterotossigeni

Indagine su un focolaio di tossinfezione da Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Hadar nella regione Abruzzo

E’ stato eseguito uno studio comparativo tra 22 ceppi di Salmonella Hadar isolati da soggetti coinvolti in un focolaio di tossinfezione alimentare in Abruzzo nel 2000 e 21 ceppi dello stesso sierotipo isolati da carni avicole e da feci umane in Abruzzo e Molise nel periodo 2000 e 2001. L’indagine aveva come obiettivo di fornire una interpretazione epidemiologica del focolaio di tossinfezione alimentare determinando il grado di similarità tra i ceppi di Salmonella Hadar isolati dai soggetti coinvolti nel focolaio, quelli isolati da carne avicola, identificata ma non confermata come possibile fonte di infezione, e da altri campioni umani pervenuti in laboratorio. A tal fine sono state impiegate tecniche di caratterizzazione genotipica come pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) e random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) e sono stati determinati i pattern di resistenza agli antimicrobici. Dall’analisi in PFGE dei profili di restrizione ottenuti con XbaI e BlnI sono stati identificati 12 pulsotipi suddivisi in 3 gruppi. La RAPD non ha fornito indicazioni non riuscendo a discriminare i ceppi isolati dai soggetti con gastroenterite appartenenti al focolaio tossinfettivo. Il test di resistenza agli antimicrobici ha evidenziato pattern di resistenza multipla ma non sono stati identificati ceppi resistenti al Ciprofloxacin o altri Chinoloni testati. I ceppi aviari sono risultati resistenti all’acido nalidixico mentre solo il 31,8% di quelli umani ha presentato tale profilo. Da un’analisi combinata dei pattern di resistenza e dei pulsotipi sono stati identificati 4 profili di cui quello associato al focolaio è risultato non correlato agli altri presenti nello stesso periodo. E’ stata confermata la necessità di applicare un set di metodi di analisi differenti per garantire una migliore caratterizzazione e una maggiore capacità discriminante nell’identificazione delle possibili origini della contaminazione e stabilire correlazioni fra gli isolati

An outbreak of gastroenteritis in a holiday resort in Italy: epidemiological survey, implementation and application of preventive measures

A major gastroenteritis outbreak was reported in a vacation resort in Central Italy in 2003. A total of 183 cases were identified. The case-control study identified a statistically significant correlation between the disease and sea bathing, use of sanitary facilities in bungalows and of common showers. Stool samples taken from people affected were found positive for Norovirus (68%, 13 of 19 samples), Rotavirus (38%, 1 of 14 samples) and Campylobacter (7%, 3 of 8 samples). Environmental investigations revealed serious faecal contamination of the groundwater and the presence of Norovirus in the seawater near the resort. The mixing of groundwater and seawater with the non-drinking water system - which was also found to be connected to the drinking water system - had a primary role in the onset and spread of infection within the village. The complete absence of any gastroenteritis epidemics among the site guests since 2006 demonstrates the effectiveness of the environmental corrective measures taken

An outbreak of gastroenteritis in a holiday resort in Italy: epidemiological survey, implementation and application of preventive measures

A major gastroenteritis outbreak was reported in a vacation resort in Central Italy in 2003. A total of 183 cases were identified. The case-control study identified a statistically significant correlation between the disease and sea bathing, use of sanitary facilities in bungalows and of common showers. Stool samples taken from people affected were found positive for Norovirus (68%, 13 of 19 samples), Rotavirus (38%, 1 of 14 samples) and Campylobacter (7%, 3 of 8 samples). Environmental investigations revealed serious faecal contamination of the groundwater and the presence of Norovirus in the seawater near the resort. The mixing of groundwater and seawater with the non-drinking water system - which was also found to be connected to the drinking water system - had a primary role in the onset and spread of infection within the village. The complete absence of any gastroenteritis epidemics among the site guests since 2006 demonstrates the effectiveness of the environmental corrective measures taken.[...