INDAGINE SULLA PRESENZA DI PATOGENI ZOONOSICI IN ALLEVAMENTI DI BOVINE DA LATTE DEL COMPENSORIO LOMBARDO

Milk bacterial quality at farm gate has gradually improved in the last decades in Italy, and in Lombardia. Further more raw milk consumption is raising public concern about the risk of foodborne disease by emerging pathogens. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the real presence of such bacteria in different dairy herds. Two groups of dairy were analized: 22 were located in Milano-Lodi area, and chosen based on bulk milk total bacterial count registred during the last 3 years; they were visited 3 times in different seasons. The second group were 42 dairy located in Como-Lecco area. In all of these herd cows are housed in cubicles and milked in herringbone parlours. The following samples were taken: bulk milk, milk machine filters and 3 environmental samples. Each samples was microbiologically tested for the presence of S.aureus, Salmonella spp., L.monocitogenes, Campyloacter spp.,EHEC,Yersinia enterocolitica and MAP. The presumptive isolation was confirmed by PCR.The presence of MAP was investigaqted by Real-Time PCR. Only S.aureus positive milk samples was higher in the herds. MAP showed similar frequency, but a random distribution. With the exeption of Y.entercolitica, that was isolated in 1 herd, all the other pathogens were never detected in the milk or in the filter. Frequentely we isolated EHEC and MAP in environmental samples, while neither Salmonella spp. Nor Campylobacter spp.. were demonstrated. When proper hygienic procedures during milking are applied, the risk of milk contamination by foodborne pathogens in very low.