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This cross-sectional study determined the prevalence of Listeria spp. in bulk-tank milk on dairy farms in the region of Galicia in northwest Spain. The aim was to identify management practices associated with the presence of Listeria spp. and possible effects on milk hygienic quality. A total of 98 farms was randomly selected on the basis of an expected prevalence of 6.5% for Listeria monocytogenes from 20,107 dairy farms in the region. Bulk-tank milk samples were obtained from 98 farms, fecal samples from lactating cows from 97 farms, and silage samples from 83 farms. Listeria monocytogenes was detected in 6.1, 9.3, and 6.0% of these samples, respectively. Statistical analyses confirmed the relationship between low silage quality (as indicated by high pH) and presence of Listeria spp. in silage (29.5 vs. 6.2% for pH above or below 4.5, respectively). Only milking system [tie-stall systems (28.6%) vs. parlor milking (10%)] and inadequately controlled milking order [yes (32.0%) vs. no (10.7%)] had statistically significant effects on management practices for increasing the risk of Listeria contamination of bulk-tank milk.

The agar dilution method was used to determine the activities of gentamicin, erythromycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, sulfamethazine, cephalothin, penicillin G, and tetracycline against 73 strains belonging to the genus Listeria (L. innocua, L. seeligeri, and L. monocytogenes). All strains were isolated from raw milk, cheese, the dairy processing plant, poultry, and the poultry slaughterhouse. Gentamicin, ampicillin, and erythromycin, of which the MICs for 90% of the strains tested for all three species were < or = 5.96 micrograms/ml, were found to be the most active agents studied. Most of the L. innocua strains isolated from poultry and the poultry slaughterhouse were resistant to tetracycline.