title: Detection of mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in cheeses from small ruminants in Tuscany.
abstract: Paratuberculosis is an infectious disease which affects mainly domestic and wild ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map). Map has been associated with human diseases like Crohn disease, type-1 diabetes, sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The aim of this study was to determine the level of Map positivity of cheeses produced in Tuscany (Italy) as an indication of human exposure to the specific pathogen. Sampling was focused on artisanal cheeses produced without commercial starter culture from raw sheep or goat milk, on small-scale farms. Samples were tested by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and culture. Map DNA was detected in 4/7 (57.14%) goat, and in 14/25 (56%) sheep cheeses by qPCR, whereas cultivation produced a positive result in only one case. This corresponded to a goat cheese that had also reacted positively by qPCR and yielded a viable Type S (sheep) strain of Map. The Map load of the tested samples based on qPCR ranged from 6×10 to 1.8×10(4)Map cells/g of cheese. The results indicate on average 56.57% and 66.6% positivity of cheese samples and farms, respectively. Hence, the type of cheeses that were analyzed within the context of this study seem to constitute a considerable source of human exposure to Map; although the question remains of whether the Map cells were present in a viable form, since positive results were almost exclusively recorded by qPCR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: alessiagaliero@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galiero
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fratini
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Faculty of Animal Health and Aquaculture, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mataragka
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Turchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nuvoloni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Faculty of Animal Health and Aquaculture, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ikonomopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cerri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006041:Goats / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D058889:Molecular Typing; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D034561:Sheep, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Cheese; Culture; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis; Small ruminants; qPCR