A study on the microbial quality of sealed products for feminine hygiene.

INTRODUCTION: Sanitary tampons have been in existence for over 60 years. Their use may present certain health risks, potentially associated with an abnormal change of microbial flora in the vagina (e.g., toxic shock syndrome). Tampon production and marketing are regulated differently in different countries. In Australia, Canada and the USA, tampons are classified as Class-II medical devices and their marketing requires pre-clinical and clinical studies, including microbiological trials. In Europe, tampons are considered consumer products and safety-related data are provided only if the manufacturer deems them to be useful. Sterility of these products is not requested by law; thus they may represent a potential vehicle for microorganisms. Due to the lack of data on microbial characteristics of tampons, an analytical investigation was carried out to characterize and quantify the microbial flora present on sealed tampons of various brands present on the market in Italy. METHODS: Traditional cultural methods were used to characterize and quantify bacteria and fungi. Identification of colonies was performed with biochemical techniques. RESULTS: Results showed low microbial concentrations in 93% of the positive samples. A rare presence of opportunistic pathogens was detected and a few samples (6%) were characterized by bacterial species of human origin. CONCLUSIONS: In the light of these data, the examined tampons were found to have good hygienic quality. Nevertheless, to minimize the microbial risks linked to the use of these products, strict hygienic rules during their production and manipulation have to be adopted.

First detection of papillomaviruses and polyomaviruses in swimming pool waters: unrecognized recreational water-related pathogens?

AIMS: Viral outbreaks associated with swimming pools have been described worldwide. The objective of this study was to examine the extent of viral contamination in indoor and outdoor swimming pools. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pools were examined for the presence of human enteric viruses (adenovirus, norovirus and enterovirus) and nonenteric viruses (papillomavirus and polyomavirus-BK, JC, KI, WU and Merkel cell). Bacteriological parameters were also evaluated. The analysed pool waters met microbiological quality standards. Enteric viruses were not detected. On the other hand, papillomaviruses (HPV8, 12, 23, 25, 120 and unclassified HPVs) and polyomaviruses (JC and Merkel cell polyomaviruses) were detected in 9/14 samples (64%). The number of HPV DNA copies in pool waters, measured by quantitative Real-time PCR, ranged from 1.27E+04 to 1.13E+05/10L. CONCLUSION: Results show that a variety of nonenteric viruses may be discharged in pool waters by various secretions and excretions from infected individuals or asymptomatic carriers. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on human papillomaviruses and polyomaviruses in swimming pools. The likelihood that these viruses can be transmitted by recreational activities deserves to be explored in future studies.

An Italian investigation on non-tuberculous mycobacteria in an urban water supply.

BACKGROUND: Atypical or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are considered opportunistic pathogenic bacteria. They are natural inhabitants of a broad variety of environmental reservoirs, including natural and treated waters. Due to the lack of Italian studies on these microorganisms in drinking water, an investigation was carried out on their occurrence and on species present in a municipal water distribution system in Rome. The presence of the traditional indicators of faecal contaminations and free living amoebae were also verified. METHODS: Two different methodological approaches based on cultural and molecular techniques have been applied in parallel. RESULTS: Mean concentrations of NTM obtained with the two analytical methodologies were roughly 102 CFU/L. Among the numerous NTM species identified, M. chelonae was the most frequently isolated. No correlation of NTM with indicators of faecal contamination and amoebae was found. CONCLUSIONS: Mycobacteria can be present even if routine tests show water to have an excellent hygienic quality.

[Comparison of cultural methods for the recovery of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: the UNI EN ISO 16266 reference method and the alternative method Pseudalert®]. / Confronto di metodi colturali per il rilevamento di Pseudomonas aeruginosa: il metodo di riferimento UNI EN ISO 16266 e il metodo alternativo Pseudalert®.

BACKGROUND: For the water analysis, for Pseudomonas aeruginosa a presumptive positive result can be achieved in 40- 48 hours using the traditional membrane filtration technique followed by an additional 24-48 hour confirmation stage. Conversely, the Pseudalert Quanti-Tray™ method can give confirmed results after 24-28 hours. In this case, actively growing strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa show a confirmed positive result when a specific enzyme cleaving the substrate in the reagent produces a blue fluorescence under 365 nm ultraviolet light. A comparison of the performance of the Pseudalert respect to the standard method was conducted using statistical methods. METHODS: Drinking water was analyzed in parallel with the membrane filtration technique using Pseudomonas CN agar (UNI EN ISO 16266) and the Pseudalert. Confirmation test are requested by the standard method and although Pseudalert Quanti-Tray™ gives confirmed results, all the positive isolates were also confirmed. Data were analyzed by statistical methods. RESULTS: For drinking water, Pseudalert showed a very high sensitivity (98,8%) and a high percentage of specificity (96,8%). From a total of 889 positive isolates, a very high confirmation rates (99,3%) was calculated. Statistical analyses confirmed that the two methods were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the Pseudalert produces confirmed results in a shorter time than the standard reference method allowing the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with no further confirmation steps. It could be a valid alternative method for the water analysis.

[A rapid method for the analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water intended for human consumption]. / Applicazione di un metodo rapido per la determinazione di Pseudomonas aeruginosa in acque destinate al consumo umano.

Two Italian laws, come into force in the 2003, prescribe the use of the Standard UNI EN 12780 for the determination of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in water. A shortcoming of this method is due to long time for obtaining the analytical results. In this paper the performance of an early warning method, the Colifast Analyzer/Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was evaluated, respect to the standard reference method and for its sensitivity, specificity and time to detect. The Colifast Analyzer/Pseudomonas aeruginosa gave different results according to the analyzed water and much quickly than the standard reference method. The system could have wide prospects in a future also in relation to an adaptation of water technical regulations.

Sanitary quality of marine sediments and sands from an Italian beach.

Microbiological surveys were carried out on marine sands and sediments collected at a sandy beach along a coastal area close to Rome, Italy. Low densities of faecal indicator bacteria were recovered, and among them enterococci outnumbered the coliforms. The group of staphylococci was in a fairly constant concentration throughout the period of sampling. Some statistically significant correlations were calculated between yeasts and moulds, Escherichia coli and enterococci and between the latter and Clostridium spores. The data obtained could be a reference point for further studies.

Genomic heterogeneity of environmental and clinical aeromonads.

Thirty-three isolates of Aeromonas from environmental sources and clinical samples were tested and the results, obtained using the pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) technique, were compared with those obtained by biochemical typing. On the basis of their biochemical characteristics 31 strains was assigned to one of the recognised groups or species within the Aeromonas genus and 2 strains to the species Vibrio fluvialis. These latter were nevertheless found to belong to the Aeromonas genus on the basis of the chromosomal DNA analysis. Among the clinical isolates the biochemical analysis showed greater uniformity. A low correlation between molecular and traditional typing methods was observed with a wider heterogeneity at the genomic level. The results showed the difficulty of discriminating Aeromonas isolates by conventional biochemical methods. The genomic analysis performed by PFGE can be a more effectual technique, which can be used for epidemiological and ecological studies of the microorganisms belonging to the Aeromonas group.