Exposure of Buffalo Milkers to Pathogenic Bacteria and Characterization of Isolated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus spp.

The research was focused on the surveillance of the exposure of buffalo milkers in contact with both animals and potentially contaminated equipment, pointing attention on the diffusion of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. The monitoring was performed for 12 months, allowing the collection of 600 raw milk and buffalo udder surface samples, 192 milking lanes, 400 milking clusters, 160 personal protective equipment (PPEs) and electronic devices surface samples in contact with the workers of four milking parlors located in Southern Italy. The analysis of the milk samples evidenced the highest exposure to the bacteria considered (and mainly to S. aureus) from late winter-spring seasons onward. The possible risk arising from buffalo udder, milking clusters, and lines were instead considered rather stable along the entire period of sampling. The PPEs turned out to be a source of contamination for milkers mainly during the spring and summer periods. The analysis for oxacillin/methicillin resistance revealed in all the farms enrolled an overall amount of 37.5% of Staphylococci strains (belonging to S. aureus, S. haemolyticus, S. pseudintermedius, S. chromogenes species) resistant both to methicillin and oxacillin. The investigation demonstrated that the potential transfer of pathogenic bacteria to humans would have a better chance to occur at milk resumption time (since late winter-spring onward) when the number of animals to be milked is greater and the activity in the milking parlor is more challenging. At the same time, the findings seem to point out that the potential risk may be worsened by a significant presence of oxacillin/methicillin-resistant Staphylococci, potentially resulting from irrational use of antibiotics.

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the environment and COVID-19 transmission risk from environmental matrices and surfaces.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading around the world, representing a global pandemic, counting, as of June 5th, 2020, over 6,600,000 confirmed cases and more than 390,000 deaths, with exponentially increasing numbers. In the first half of 2020, because of the widespread of the COVID-19, researches were focused on the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in water, wastewater, sludge, air, and on surfaces, in order to assess the risk of contracting the viral infection from contaminated environments. So far, the survival of the novel Coronavirus out of the human body has been reported for short time periods (from hours to few days, in optimized in vitro conditions), mainly because of the need of an host organism which could consent the viral attack, and due to the weak external membrane of the virus. SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding strategies in the environment, either through animate and unanimate matrices, or exploiting the organic matter in water, wastewater, and waste in general, have been discussed in the present article. We concluded that, besides the high infectuousness of the novel Coronavirus, the transmission of the pathogen may be efficiently contained applying the adequate preventive measures (e.g., personal protection equipments, and disinfecting agents), indicated by national and international health authories.