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Evaluating and characterizing production systems using farm characteristics allows the diagnosis of failing points. This diagnosis can be used to improve the productive and zootechnical indices. Little is known about the milk production systems in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the milk production systems of the Northwest, Center Western and Southwest mesoregions of Rio Grande do Sul, considering the infrastructure, milk handling, milk quantity and composition, and nutritional intake of the cattle. To conduct this study, 38 Milk Production Units (MPUs) registered at the Municipal Secretaries of Agriculture and Emater/Ascar-RS were randomly selected. After being randomly selected, the dairy farms were visited and a semi-structured guide questionnaire was applied and milk samples were collected from expansion tanks. The milk was analyzed for somatic cell counts (SCC) and total bacterial counts (TBC). Data were evaluated through principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Multivariate analysis allowed the investigated variables to be reduced into two main components (CP1 and CP2). These two showed eigenvalues greater than 1 (alpha> 1) and together explained 55.05% of the characteristics variability of the 38 MPUs studied. CP1 contemplated productive capacity and factors related to nutritional management of the MPUs, interfering directly with reproductive performance. CP2 comprised milk handling and daily production. Using these main variables, the data set generated from the 38 MPUs studied were adjusted and classified into five groups (G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5). The characteristics of these groups differed statistically especially in infrastructure and nutritional management of the cattle. Due to their particularities, each of these five groups of MPUs requires strategic technical interventions to improve their productive indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E (HEV), and rotavirus (RV) in fresh and processed meat traded on the border of Brazil with Argentina and Uruguay. In total, 159 samples of raw and processed foods of animal origin were collected in Paso de los Libres, Argentina (n = 53 raw meat, n = 24 processed meat) and Rivera, Uruguay (n = 55 raw meat, n = 18 processed meat), or were seized by the Brazilian International Agricultural Surveillance System—VIGIAGRO (Brazil-Argentina border) (n = 8 raw meat, n = 1 bush meat). All samples were tested for the presence of HAV, HEV, and RV genomes. HAV genes were detected in 18.23% of samples and RV genes in 23.89%. No HEV-positive samples were detected. HAV was also detected in two of the VIGIAGRO samples. Processed meats from Argentina and Uruguay had a higher rate of HAV and RV than raw meat (P > 0.05). The median HAV in the Argentinian and Uruguayan samples was 6.9 × 104 and 3.5 × 103 copies/g, respectively. The presence of RV viral genes in raw meats from Argentina was significant, and this was not observed in processed meats. The presence of HAV and RV genes in a significant portion of products from Argentina and Uruguay is a potential source of human infection. This also indicates precarious conditions of acquisition, processing, and manipulation, which could be improved by improved regulation of food across borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the spread of Salmonella Enteritidis to different cutting boards (wood, triclosan-treated plastic, glass, and stainless steel) from contaminated poultry skin (5 log CFU/g) and then to tomatoes and to analyze the effect of different protocols used to clean these surfaces to control contamination. The following procedures were simulated: (1) no cleaning after handling contaminated poultry skin; (2) rinsing in running water; (3) cleaning with dish soap and mechanical scrubbing; and (4) cleaning with dish soap and mechanical scrubbing, followed by disinfection with hypochlorite. The pathogen was recovered from all surfaces following procedure 1, with counts ranging from 1.90 to 2.80 log, as well as from the tomatoes handled on it. Reduced numbers of S. Enteritidis were recovered using the other procedures, both from the surfaces and from the tomatoes. Counts were undetectable after procedure 4. From all surfaces evaluated, wood was the most difficult to clean, and stainless steel was the easiest. The use of hypochlorite as a disinfecting agent helped to reduce cross-contamination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The traffic in international animal products can become a public health hazard when legal import sanitary procedures are not followed. In Brazil, due to its extensive border area, the importation of animal products is a common practice in many areas, especially in Rio Grande do Sul, a state that borders Argentina and Uruguay. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of veterinary drug residues (antibiotics and antiparasitics) in animal products consumed in Rio Grande do Sul. The presence of residues of veterinary antibiotics and antiparasitics was assessed in 189 meat (beef, pork, and chicken), processed dairy, and meat product samples bought in Argentina (n = 90) and Uruguay (n = 99). Residues of these veterinary drugs were detected in 50 (26.45%) of the samples; 28 samples (14.81%) had antibiotic residues, and 22 samples (11.64%) had antiparasitic residues. Of the 50 positive samples, 40% (15 from Argentina and 5 from Uruguay) had residues above the maximum residue limits (MRLs). Of these 20 samples, 12 had antiparasitic residues above the MRLs (11 beef samples had ivermectin and 1 pork sample had ivermectin and doramectin) and 8 had antibiotic residues above the MRLs (2 pork and 2 sausage samples had doxycycline, 2 cheese samples had doxycycline and chlortetracycline, 1 poultry meat sample had chloramphenicol, and 1 cheese sample had monensin). Because of the potential toxic effects on humans and the potential for pathogens to develop antibiotic resistance, the presence of these residues above the MRLs is a potential risk to public health. The negative impact of consumption of imported animal products can be reduced by implementation of an effective surveillance system and educational campaigns for the general population., (Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary quality of lamb meat sold in the city of Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) by counting the indicator microorganisms and detecting pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes . Thirty-nine lamb meat samples were collected from 10 commercial establishments in Uruguaiana. The samples were subjected to counts of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms and enterobacteria, and to the detection of Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes , all following standard methods. The average counts of mesophilic microorganisms and enterobacteria were 6.08 log CFU/g (minimum 4.07 and max 6.87) and 4.73 log CFU/g (minimum 0 and max 5.88), respectively. For pathogens, L. monocytogenes was isolated from five samples (12.82%), with three samples in the same location. Only two samples (5.13%) were positive for Salmonella spp. The results demonstrated unsatisfactory hygienic-sanitary conditions because high counts of pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes . The counts of enterobacteria showed poor hygiene conditions during the various stages of production. The results also indicated fecal contamination, as Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes are present in the intestinal tract of both humans and animals. The high count of mesophilic microorganisms obtained could be owing to contaminated raw material or unsatisfactory processing, including unsanitary conditions and the inappropriate use of binomial time/temperature during storage., Competing Interests: Conflict of interests: No conflict of interests declared concerning the publication of this article., (Copyright Soares et al.)

Abstract: We aimed to perform serotyping and the antimicrobial resistance profile of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from raw meats imported illegally into Brazil along the borders of Argentina and Uruguay. Distinct isolates of Salmonella spp. (n = 6) and L. monocytogenes (n = 25) obtained from 270 of these food products of earlier work were serotyped and tested for antimicrobial resistance by agar disk diffusion method. For strains that were considered phenotypically resistant, antimicrobial resistance genes were investigated: strA, strB, floR, tetA, tetB, blaZ, blaTEM, ermB, ermC, and ereB to Salmonella sp. and blaZ and mecA to L. monocytogenes. All Salmonella isolates were identified as Salmonella Infantis; they were multidrug resistant and harbored the genes blaTEM (n = 6), strA (n = 1), strB (n = 1), floR (n = 1), ermB (n = 1), tetA (n = 3), and tetB (n = 3). L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to serovars 1/2a (n = 1), 1/2b (n = 14), 1/2c (n = 2), and 4b (n = 8), showed resistance only to penicillin G (n = 12), and did not show the blaZ and mecA genes. The results demonstrated that illegal foods that are commercialized in the Brazilian international border with Argentina and Uruguay may harbor foodborne pathogens, and some of them have multidrug resistance characteristics, such as Salmonella, emphasizing the need for greater control of international food transit in Brazil, especially in the region evaluated., (Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection.)