Large genetic diversity of Arcobacter butzleri isolated from raw milk in Southern Italy

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Ingestion of raw milk has been suggested as a risk for transmission to humans. Here the authors evaluated pre-treatment protocols for DNA extraction on T. gondii tachyzoite-spiked sheep milk with the aim of identifying the method that resulted in the most rapid and reliable PCR positivity. This protocol was then used to analyze milk samples form sheep from three different farms in southern Italy, including Real Time PCR for DNA quantification and PCR-RFLP for genotyping. The pre-treatment protocol using EDTA and Tris-HCl to remove casein gave the best results in the least amount of time compared to the others on spiked milk samples. One sample of 21 collected from sheep farms was positive on one-step PCR, Real Time PCR and resulted in a Type I genotype at one locus (SAG3). Milk usually contains a low number of tachyzoites and this could be a limiting factor for molecular identification. Our preliminary data has evaluated a rapid, cost-effective and sensitive protocol to treat milk before DNA extraction. The results of the present study also confirm the possibility of T. gondii transmission through consumption of raw milk and its unpasteurized derivatives.

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An Ecological Study of Lactococci Isolated from Raw Milk in the Camembert Cheese Registered Designation of Origin Area

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.64.12.4729-4735.1998 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 64 (12) ◽

pp. 4729-4735 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

D. Corroler ◽

I. Mangin ◽

N. Desmasures ◽

M. Gueguen

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Ecological Study ◽

Raw Milk ◽

Randomly Amplified Polymorphic Dna ◽

Histidine Biosynthesis ◽

Subspecies Level ◽

Camembert Cheese ◽

Reference Strains ◽

Origin Area

ABSTRACT The genetic diversity of lactococci isolated from raw milk in the Camembert cheese Registered Designation of Origin area was studied. Two seasonal samples (winter and summer) of raw milk were obtained from six farms in two areas (Bessin and Bocage Falaisien) of Normandy. All of the strains analyzed had a Lactococcus lactis subsp.lactis phenotype, whereas the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique genotypically identified the strains as members of L. lactis subsp. lactis orL. lactis subsp. cremoris. The genotypes were confirmed by performing standard PCR with primers corresponding to a region of the histidine biosynthesis operon. The geographic distribution of each subspecies of L. lactis was determined; 80% of the Bocage Falaisien strains were members ofL. lactis subsp. lactis, and 30.5% of the Bessin strains were members of L. lactis subsp.lactis. A dendrogram was produced from a computer analysis of the RAPD profiles in order to evaluate the diversity of the lactococci below the subspecies level. The coefficient of similarity for 117 of the 139 strains identified as members of L. lactis subsp.cremoris was as high as 66%. The L. lactis subsp. lactis strains were more heterogeneous and formed 10 separate clusters (the level of similarity among the clusters was 18%). Reference strains of L. lactissubsp. lactis fell into 2 of these 10 clusters, demonstrating that lactococcal isolates are clearly different. As determined by the RAPD profiles, some L. lactis subsp.lactis strains were specific to the farms from which they originated and were recovered throughout the year (in both summer and winter). Therefore, the typicality of L. lactissubsp. lactis strains was linked to the farm of origin rather than the area. These findings emphasize the significance of designation of origin and the specificity of “Camembert de Normandie” cheese.

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Conservation and genetic characterisation of common bean landraces from Cilento region (southern Italy): high differentiation in spite of low genetic diversity

Genetica ◽

10.1007/s10709-017-9994-6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 146 (1) ◽

pp. 29-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Daniele De Luca ◽

Paola Cennamo ◽

Emanuele Del Guacchio ◽

Riccardo Di Novella ◽

Paolo Caputo

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Common Bean ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Genetic Characterisation ◽

Low Genetic Diversity

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Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Arcobacter in Food Products in the North of Spain

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-13-014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 76 (8) ◽

pp. 1447-1450 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

BARBARA NIEVA-ECHEVARRIA ◽

IRATI MARTINEZ-MALAXETXEBARRIA ◽

CECILIA GIRBAU ◽

RODRIGO ALONSO ◽

AURORA FERNÁNDEZ-ASTORGA

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Genetic Diversity ◽

Basque Country ◽

Food Products ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

The North ◽

Arcobacter Butzleri ◽

North Of Spain ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

The bacterial contamination of food products can cause serious public health problems. Interest in Arcobacter contamination has increased due to the relationship between these bacteria and human enteritis. We studied the prevalence and genetic diversity of Arcobacter species at the retail level in the province of Alava in Basque Country, Spain. The results showed a high genetic diversity and indicated the regular presence of the main Arcobacter spp. associated with human enteric illness in food products. Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, and Arcobacter skirrowii were detected with an overall prevalence close to 40% and were isolated from 15 (42.8%) fresh cow's milk samples, 12 (73.3%) shellfish samples, 11 (55%) chicken samples, 2 (10%) pork samples, and 1 (5%) beef sample. The results indicate the need to investigate the impact of Arcobacter spp. on public health.

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The Quality of Five Natural, Historical Italian Cheeses Produced in Different Months: Gross Composition, Fat-Soluble Vitamins, Fatty Acids, Total Phenols, Antioxidant Capacity, and Health Index

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani12020199 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 199

Author(s):

Adriana Di Di Trana ◽

Ambra Rita Di Di Rosa ◽

Margherita Addis ◽

Myriam Fiori ◽

Antonino Di Di Grigoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Saturated Fatty Acids ◽

Raw Milk ◽

Feeding System ◽

Health Index ◽

Production Area ◽

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Five natural historic cheeses of Southern Italy were investigated—Caciocavallo Palermitano (CP), Casizolu del Montiferru (CdM), Vastedda della Valle del Belìce (VVB), Pecorino Siciliano (PS), and Caprino Nicastrese (CN)—which are produced with raw milk and with traditional techniques and tools, from autochthonous breeds reared under an extensive system. The effects of the month of production on gross composition, MUFA, PUFA, PUFA-ω6, PUFA-ω3, α-tocopherol, retinol, cholesterol, TPC, TEAC, and GHIC were evaluated. In CP, CLA, TPC, and GHIC were higher in April than in February. CdM showed higher values in terms of fat, saturated fatty acids, PUFA-ω3, α-tocopherol, TEAC, and GHIC in May than in February and September, while low values in terms of protein, moisture, and CLA were found. In VVB, MUFA, PUFA-ω6, and α-tocopherol increased in June compared with April; conversely, protein, FRAP, and TEAC were higher in April. In PS, protein, CLA, PUFA, PUFA-ω3, α-tocopherol, and GHIC increased in May compared with January; on the contrary, moisture, NaCl, and TEAC showed high values in January. CN showed higher values in terms of PUFA, PUFA-ω6, PUFA-ω3, TPC, TEAC, and GHIC in April and June compared with January. It is shown that each cheese is unique and closely linked to the production area. Cheeses produced in the spring months showed a high nutritional quality due to the greatest presence of healthy compounds originating from an extensive feeding system.

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Molecular and Phenotypic Diversity of Traditional European Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Germplasm of Southern Italy

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11154112 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (15) ◽

pp. 4112 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rosanna Manco ◽

Boris Basile ◽

Claudio Capuozzo ◽

Pasquale Scognamiglio ◽

Marcello Forlani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Phenotypic Diversity ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Molecular Profile ◽

Prunus Domestica ◽

Campania Region ◽

On Farm Conservation ◽

Plum Varieties

The European plum (Prunus domestica L.) is a worldwide distributed tree species. Italy has an ample number of traditional varieties, but many are neglected and at risk of extinction. This germplasm is still cultivated in rural areas in spite of the EU-28 crisis of the stone fruit sector. Traditional European plum varieties remain poorly characterized, strongly limiting their promotion in local markets, use for farm diversification, and exploitation for local gastronomic products. In this study, we carried out an investigation of the morphological and genetic diversity present in an ex-situ collection of 29 traditional varieties of P. domestica of the Campania region (Southern Italy). The combination of five continuous and five categorical fruit traits allowed us to phenotypically distinguish all the varieties. Similarly, the Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) employed (five genomic and five deriving from Expressed Sequence Tags) identified a unique molecular profile for each variety. Moreover, the data indicated that the phenotypic and molecular investigations provided different clustering, suggesting that the two analyses sampled different sources of diversity. The number and the distribution of the scored phenotypes as well as the indices of genetic diversity imply the presence of a wide-ranging variation, which may sustain the development of high-value, niche market products. Our work provided evidence that the implementation of measures for a combination of ex-situ and on-farm conservation of traditional European plum varieties should be preferred to avoid the loss of an ample diversity.

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Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Bacillus cereus Isolated from Raw Milk and Cattle Farm Environments

Current Microbiology ◽

10.1007/s00284-019-01741-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (11) ◽

pp. 1355-1360 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peng Fei ◽

Xiujuan Yuan ◽

Shengjuan Zhao ◽

Tongxiang Yang ◽

Jinle Xiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Bacillus Cereus ◽

Raw Milk ◽

Cattle Farm

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Genetic diversity, antibiotic resistance and biofilm-forming ability of Arcobacter butzleri isolated from poultry and environment from a Portuguese slaughterhouse

International Journal of Food Microbiology ◽

10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2013.01.003 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 162 (1) ◽

pp. 82-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Susana Ferreira ◽

Maria J. Fraqueza ◽

João A. Queiroz ◽

Fernanda C. Domingues ◽

Mónica Oleastro

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Arcobacter Butzleri

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Detection of Campylobacter from Poultry Carcass Skin Samples at Slaughter in Southern Italy

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-72.8.1718 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 72 (8) ◽

pp. 1718-1721 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

TIZIANA PEPE ◽

ROSARIA DE DOMINICIS ◽

GIUSEPPINA ESPOSITO ◽

IOLE VENTRONE ◽

PINA M. FRATAMICO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Southern Italy ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Foodborne Pathogen ◽

Raw Milk ◽

Human Infection ◽

Contaminated Water ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Multiplex Pcr Assay ◽

Human Infections ◽

Poultry Carcass

Campylobacter is a major foodborne pathogen responsible for acute gastroenteritis characterized by diarrhea that is sometimes bloody, fever, cramps, and vomiting. Campylobacter species are carried in the intestinal tracts of mammals and birds, and sources of human infection include raw milk, contaminated water, direct contact with pets, and foods, particularly poultry. Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli are the species that account for the majority of human infections. The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in 190 poultry carcasses sampled at slaughter and to use a multiplex PCR assay to determine if the isolates were C. jejuni or C. coli. C. coli was not isolated, while C. jejuni was recovered from 52 (37.1%) of 140 carcasses for which pools of four sampling sites (neck, cloaca, breast, and back) were examined. In the remaining 50 carcasses, the four sites were analyzed separately, and C. jejuni was recovered from the samples in the following order: neck (n = 20), cloaca (n = 16), breast (n = 14), and back (n = 11). The results are in agreement with those of other studies, which showed that C. jejuni is more commonly associated with poultry than is C. coli. Control strategies for Campylobacter should include interventions to eliminate C. jejuni in poultry at various stages of production and processing, including at slaughter.

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