RESUMO
Cryptosporidium is an important cause of diarrhoeal disease worldwide and, as several recent waterborne outbreaks have shown, poses a significant threat to public health in Ireland. We identified the Cryptosporidium spp. in 199 positive human stool samples by PCR-RFLP of the 18S rRNA and COWP gene loci. Subspecies were identified in 104 samples by sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) gene fragment. Overall C. parvum was identified in 80%, and C. hominis in 20% of cases. No other Cryptosporidium spp. were detected. C. parvum was by far the most common species in the rural, more sparsely populated west of Ireland and exhibited a pronounced spring peak coincident with a peak in the national cryptosporidiosis incidence rate. Our data indicated a trend towards higher proportions of C. hominis in older age groups. Ninety-nine per cent of all subtyped C. parvum isolates belonged to allele family IIa, of which allele IIaA18G3R1 was by far the most common (63%). According to a recent study by Thompson and colleagues [Parasitology Research (2007), 100, 619-624] this allele is also the most common in Irish cattle. Subtyping of the C. hominis isolates indicated that they belonged to a geographically widely distributed allele (IbA10G2) known to have caused several water- and foodborne outbreaks around the world. The predominance of C. parvum, its geographic and seasonal distribution and the IIaA18G3R1 subtype underlines the importance of zoonotic Cryptosporidium transmission in Ireland.
Assuntos
Criptosporidiose/epidemiologia , Criptosporidiose/parasitologia , Cryptosporidium/classificação , Cryptosporidium/isolamento & purificação , Fezes/parasitologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Animais , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Cryptosporidium/genética , Impressões Digitais de DNA , DNA de Protozoário/química , DNA de Protozoário/genética , DNA Ribossômico/química , DNA Ribossômico/genética , Genótipo , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Irlanda/epidemiologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Polimorfismo de Fragmento de Restrição , Prevalência , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , RNA de Protozoário/genética , RNA Ribossômico 18S/genética , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Adulto JovemRESUMO
A cook-chill system of catering was introduced in Waterford Regional Hospital in December 1989. An intensive system of microbiological monitoring was put in place from day one and after 16 months a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system was introduced. Continuous monitoring showed an improvement in the microbiological quality of the food when using HACCP, with more than 90% of samples having total viable counts of less than 1 x 10(3) g-1 and the virtual elimination of pathogens. The introduction of HACCP allowed a reduction in the level of sampling and provided a useful set of records for quality assurance.
