Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of ropy slime-producing Leuconostoc mesenteroides isolated from cooked meat products

The transfer of antibiotic resistance via the food chain is a global concern. Nevertheless, more attention is required to non-pathogenic strains, such as spoilage bacteria, which could transmit genes to pathogens. Although Lactic Acid Bacteria are microorganisms generally recognized as safe, Leuconostoc mesenteroides may reach and maintain high concentration levels on the surface of cooked products and ready-to-eat products throughout the entire shelf life. It is therefore important to consider the possibility for this species to carry antibiotic- resistance genes. The present research deals with the antibiotic susceptibility profile of strains of L. mesenteroides, isolated from vacuum packaged cooked meat products. In this study, the antimicrobial susceptibility of L.mesenteroides, previously isolated from cooked ham, was investigated through disk diffusion assay according to CLSI standards. Isolated strains from ready-to-eat food show high levels of resistance to ampicillin and methicillin and, according to a settled panel of 21 antibiotics, the antibiotic resistance was demonstrated for the 50% of the tested molecules

Short communication : Characterization of enterotoxin producing Staphylococcus aureus isolated from mastitic cows

Staphylococcus aureus is not only a common cause of bovine mastitis, but also an agent of food poisoning in humans. In an attempt to determine whether staphylococci causing bovine mastitis could also cause food poisoning, 60 isolates of presumed S. aureus were isolated in the period between March and August 2017 from 3,384 routine, composite, quarter milk samples of individual cows raised on 12 dairy farms in central Italy. Seventeen out of 60 isolates were confirmed as S. aureus after coagulase, thermonuclease, and biochemical tests. These isolates were analyzed by PCR for the presence of the nuc, sea, seb, sec, sed, and see genes. The positive isolates were nuc, 100% (17); sea, 35.29% (6); seb, 5.88% (1); sec, 5.88% (1); sed, 29.41% (5); and see, 47.06% (8). The isolates were also tested with 2 enzyme immunoassay diagnostic kits, one for the screening detection of the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, SEE) and one for the detection of specific enterotoxin produced by each isolate. Seven out of 17 (41.18%) were enterotoxin producers: 7 produced SEA (41.18%), 1 SEB (5.88%), 1 SEC (5.88%), 5 SED (29.41%), and 6 SEE (35.29%). To further characterize the isolates, they were analyzed by the Kirby Bauer test for susceptibility to 13 antimicrobials (ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, kanamycin, tetracycline, gentamicin, methicillin, nalidixic acid, erythromycin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, streptomycin, vancomycin, neomycin, and enrofloxacin), and we detected resistance to ampicillin (52.94%), nalidixic acid (70.59%), erythromycin (5.88%), and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (17.65%). The isolates were sensitive to the main classes of antimicrobials used for the treatment of bovine subclinical mastitis. The presence of enterotoxin-producing isolates of S. aureus in bovine milk means that a temperature abuse or a breakdown in the thermal treatment of the milk could present a food safety risk, particularly if all enterotoxigenic isolates could potentially produce SEA in milk.http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-dairy-science2020-12-24hj2019Paraclinical Science

Animal welfare: data from an online consultation

This paper analyses data obtained from an online survey related to animal welfare and religious slaughter topics. The questionnaire was conducted with the purpose of examining the purchase behaviour of a group of consumers (with different religious orientation) and their views on animal protection and ritual slaughter. The main results of the consultation were two. The first evidenced the respondents’ great interest about the question on animal welfare, which is in accordance with the growing interest of European citizens concerning this issue. The second was the demand for a more transparent labelling of animal products, which would also reflect animal welfare and the slaughter method used. These results are in contrast with marketing analysis, which finds that consumers want to only receive positive information. Paradoxically, the more information is transmitted to reassure consumers, the higher is the risk to alarm them