Genetic relationships and biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from the smoked salmon industry.

Among pathogens, L. monocytogenes has the capability to persist on Food Processing Environment (FPE), first of all posing safety issues, then economic impact on productivity. The aim of this work was to determine the influence of biofilm forming-ability and molecular features on the persistence of 19 Listeria monocytogenes isolates obtained from FPE, raw and processed products of a cold-smoked salmon processing plant. To verify the phenotypic and genomic correlations among the isolates, different analyses were employed: serotyping, Clonal Complex (CC), core genome Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (cgMLST) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) clustering, and evaluation of the presence of virulence- and persistence-associated genes. From our results, the biofilm formation was significantly higher (*P < 0.05) at 37 °C, compared to 30 and 12 °C, suggesting a temperature-dependent behaviour. Moreover, the biofilm-forming ability showed a strain-specific trend, not correlated with CC or with strains persistence. Instead, the presence of internalin (inL), Stress Survival Islet (SSI) and resistance to erythromycin (ermC) genes was correlated with the ability to produce biofilms. Our data demonstrate that the genetic profile influences the adhesion capacity and persistence of L. monocytogenes in food processing plants and could be the result of environmental adaptation in response to the external selective pressure.

Detection of Vibrio splendidus and related species in Chamelea gallina sampled in the Adriatic along the Abruzzi coastline.

Vibrio species are an important and widespread component of marine microbial communities. Some Vibrio strains are potentially pathogenic to marine vertebrates and invertebrates. The aim of this study was to identify vibrios, in particular Vibrio splendidus and related species, isolated from clams (Chamelea gallina) collected along the coasts of the Abruzzi region from May to October 2007. The isolates obtained were phenotyped and classified as belonging to the genus Vibrio. The strains underwent biochemical testing in accordance with Alsina's scheme for V. splendidus identification. Molecular analysis of the 16S-23S intergenic space region and recA gene was used to identify V. splendidus and related species. All the samples examined were found to contain halophylic Vibrio species, with V. alginolyticus, V. splendidus-related species and V. mediterranei most commonly found. A polymerase chain reaction of the 16S-23S intergenic space region and sequencing of the recA gene from isolates confirmed that phenotyping of Vibrio species is not sufficient to distinguish between different species. Differentiation of the highly related species among V. splendidus-related clusters remains an important issue. In this regard, our data suggests sequencing the recA genes was far more discriminatory than sequencing 16S rDNA for this purpose.

Characterisation of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from soft and semi-soft cheeses sampled in a region of Italy.

A total of 47 Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated in a survey of cheeses sampled from retail outlets were characterised. Five cheeses (Gorgonzola, Taleggio, Asiago, Crescenza and Brie) were chosen from the most popular soft and semi-soft cheeses consumed in Italy and most commonly contaminated with L. monocytogenes. The serotype and antibiotic resistance pattern were determined for each strain and their macrorestriction profile was analysed with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The main serotypes detected were 1/2a (76.6%) and 1/2c (21.3%). Serotype 1/2b was found in only one sample. A total of 97.9% of strains were resistant to oxacillin (OX), 80.9% to lincomycin (L) and 78.7% to clindamycin (CC). Of these strains, 17% were found to be resistant to two antibiotics (OX-CC or OX-L) while 70.2% were resistant to three antibiotics (OX-CC-L). No strains were susceptible to all the compounds tested. A combined analysis of the macrorestriction profiles AscI and ApaI identified eleven pulsotypes divided into three clusters. Two pulsotypes predominated, accounting for 57.4% and 21.3% of the isolated strains. Analysis of the PFGE profiles did not reveal any correlation between pulsotype and type of cheese, producer or retail outlet. A temporal analysis revealed that one pulsotype was persistent throughout the study period, with the exception of August and September, in which time a different pulsotype was detected. This variability suggests the influence of factors affecting the dynamics of the contamination of these products. Large-scale studies could help clarify this phenomenon.