Summary
To
help identify an epidemiological link between the consumption of
buffalo mozzarella prepared with raw milk (not heat-treated) and
cases of human brucellosis, 80 samples of raw buffalo milk and 315
samples of mozzarella were tested for the presence of Brucella
spp. Samples originated from Caserta, the province with the highest
number of Brucella-positive buffalo herds in Campania, the
region in which 96.02% of all cases of human brucellosis reported
in 2000-2005 were recorded. To take into account possible seasonal
variations, between February 2006 and March 2007, samples were purchased
directly from 72 dairy outlets that were representative of the province.
Samples were tested for Brucella spp. using the polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial isolation. Samples tested negative
for Brucella using both methods. Spiked samples were then
prepared and tested by PCR and bacterial isolation and the sensitivity,
specificity, repeatability, reproducibility and limit of detection
were determined. The PCR limit of detection was below 1 colony-forming
unit (cfu)/g. The repeatability and reproducibility of the method
were 100% (p = 0.95), the sensitivity was 96.7% (p
= 0.95) and the specificity was 100% (p = 0.95).
Keywords
Brucella,
Brucellosis, Buffalo, Campania, Caserta, Italy, Microbiology, Milk,
Mozzarella, Polymerase chain reaction. |