Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in Poultry Meat at Retail and Processing Plants' Levels in Central Italy.

Human campylobacteriosis remains the most commonly reported gastrointestinal disease in Europe and Campylobacter (C.) jejuni and C. coli are the two species most frequently involved in such foodborne disease. Based on the sampling plan established in the region of Lazio (Central Italy) the aim of our work was to investigate the occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry meat preparations collected by the local veterinary authority at retail shops and processing plants. We also observed whether various factors such as animal species or type of product affected the isolation rate. Occurrence was significantly lower than previous surveys (12/209, 5.7%) and chicken meat was more contaminated than turkey meat.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points among Chinese Food Business Operators.

The purpose of the present paper is to highlight some critical situations emerged during the implementation of long-term projects locally managed by Prevention Services, to control some manufacturing companies in Rome and Prato, Central Italy. In particular, some critical issues on the application of self-control in marketing and catering held by Chinese operators are underlined. The study showed serious flaws in preparing and controlling of manuals for good hygiene practice, participating of the consultants among food business operators (FBOs) to the control of the procedures. Only after regular actions by the Prevention Services, there have been satisfying results. This confirms the need to have qualified and expert partners able to promptly act among FBOs and to give adequate support to authorities in charge in order to guarantee food safety.

Evaluation Model of Plate Waste to Monitor Food Consumption in Two Different Catering Settings.

An increasing number of people regularly eats lunch away from home, using catering services. In this context, therefore, it is extremely important to improve the meals' quality, remaining faithful to the principles of hygiene, nutritional and organoleptic quality and proper food handling. At the same time, it is necessary to promote food choices, nutritionally correct, by evaluations of appropriateness of menus. The study of food waste allows an evaluation of the nutritional habits of consumers and an important economic consideration of the costs incurred for the implementation of the service. This becomes even more important in some particularly sensitive groups, such as children and elderly. The purpose of this work is to test a model of semi-quantitative evaluation of waste to monitor food consumption in two different catering contexts (educational and business), in order to improve the service for school students and other consumers.

Enteric viruses in molluscan shellfish.

One hundred and thirty-seven bivalves were collected for environmental monitoring and the market; all the samples were analysed by RT-PCR test. Bacteriological counts meeting the European Union shellfish criteria were reached by 69.5% of all the samples, whereas the overall positive values for enteric virus presence were: 25.5%, 18.2%, 8.0% and 2.1% for Rotavirus, Astrovirus, Enteroviruses, Norovirus, respectively. Mussels appear to be the most contaminated bivalves, with 64.8% of positive samples, 55.7% and 22.7% respectively for clams and oysters, whereas in the bivalves collected for human consumption 50.7% were enteric virus positive, as compared to 56.4% of the samples collected for growing-area classification. The overall positive sample was 54.0%.

Identification and sequence analysis of hepatitis A virus detected in market and environmental bivalve molluscs.

In Italy in 1998, hepatitis A virus (HAV) was responsible for an infectious disease transmitted by contaminated bivalve molluscs. To determine the presence of HAV in the bivalves collected during a 1-year follow-up study, hepatitis A RNA was extracted and amplified by a nested reverse transcriptase-PCR method overlapping the VP1/2A region. The HAV genome was detected in 24 (14.1%) of 170 samples: 19 clams (Tapes decussates and Tapes semidecussatus), 1 oyster (Crossostea gigas), and 4 mussels (Mytillus galloprovincialis). Eleven positive samples were collected from marketing areas, and 13 positive samples were collected from growing areas. Seventeen of the 24 positive samples had been taken from domestic products, and 7 had been imported. Sequence analysis showed the presence of genotypes IA and IB. Our results suggest significant presence of HAV in bivalves from both marketing (public consumption) and environmental (growing) areas.