Public Health and Quality Aspects Related to Animal Productions

Editors


E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Interests: corpus luteum; gonads; steroids; prostaglandins; intra-cellular mechanisms; nutrition; public health

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Perugia, via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Interests: meat quality; food safety; molecular biology; animal productions; parasitology

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is a relationship in terms of programs, sectors and institutions between animal health, animal production and veterinary public health on the one hand, and between each of these three sectors and public health in general on the other. The most important common factor is food safety. Undernutrition is still the most important public health problem in many parts of the world. While it is known that the major cause of undernutrition is the low gross domestic product and uneven distribution of wealth, increased production of foods of animal origin would provide the key to an improvement in the situation. The concept of animal health, in its broadest sense, implies optimum animal production in a given region and during a specified period of time. Veterinary public health has functions and objectives which are crucial for food safety: protection and hygiene of foods, and control of the presence in animal production of substances toxic to human beings (such as heavy metals, hormones and pesticides). Within the area of transmissible diseases, control measures for zoonoses are of the utmost importance. Besides the specific subject of interdisciplinary relationships in regard to zoonoses, this collection will stress the importance of joint work conducted in the research, development and implementation of laboratory diagnostic activities and the production and quality control of antigens and vaccines. The production of laboratory animals is another sphere of common activity and research, and it cannot be said that such work is specific to any one of the three disciplines. Moreover, the fields of health, animal health and veterinary public health share the same methods and strategies, and reciprocal benefits could be more significant than the objectives of individual programs. Reference should be made also to the organization of state services and their adaptation to administrative decentralization, particularly at the local level.

This Topical Collection will therefore focus on all aspects of public health, veterinary public health and quality aspects related to animal production.

Prof. Dr. Beniamino T. Cenci-Goga
Dr. Massimo Zerani
Dr. Luca Grispoldi
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microbiology Research is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • health
  • VPH
  • veterinary public health
  • zoonoses
  • food safety
  • food quality
  • nutrition
  • food security, undernutrition
  • animal production

Published Papers (4 papers)

2024

Jump to: 2023, 2022

12 pages, 3624 KiB  
Article
Influence of Organic Matter from Native Fish on the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO) in Reducing Salmonella spp. Population
by Jaqueline Oliveira Reis, Carine Baggio Cavalcante, Nathaly Barros Nunes, Adelino Cunha Neto, Maxsueli Aparecida Moura Machado, Yuri Duarte Porto, Vinicius Silva Castro and Eduardo Eustáquio de Souza Figueiredo
Microbiol. Res. 2024, 15(1), 342-353; https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres15010023 - 29 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1319
Abstract
Salmonella spp. is not part of the fish microbiota, being introduced through contaminated water or improper handling. In slaughterhouses, five parts per million (ppm) of free chlorine is recommended in the washing step to eliminate this pathogen. However, Salmonella spp. is still detected [...] Read more.
Salmonella spp. is not part of the fish microbiota, being introduced through contaminated water or improper handling. In slaughterhouses, five parts per million (ppm) of free chlorine is recommended in the washing step to eliminate this pathogen. However, Salmonella spp. is still detected in fish processing plants due to persistent contamination as a result of chlorine–organic matter interactions that reduce chlorine effectiveness. Therefore, this study aimed to test whether organic matter contained in culture media and fish washes interferes with the efficacy of chlorine at 2 and 5 ppm, and what is the time of action required to inactivate ATCC and wild strains of S. typhimurium. For this, the elimination or survival of these strains was investigated when exposed to chlorinated solution for different durations (0, 5, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min) in culture medium, 0.85% saline solution and fish wash (in natura and sterilized). The results showed that the use of 5 ppm of free chlorine is efficient, even when the chlorine remains in contact with the organic matter (washed from the fish), as it reduced the bacterial population by ~5 log log10 CFU/mL of Salmonella spp., showing that this reduction was due to interactions, as long as the chlorine action time was 30 min. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

2023

Jump to: 2024, 2022

10 pages, 1219 KiB  
Case Report
Eradication of Bovine Mastitis Caused by the Pathogenic Microalga Prototheca bovis on a Dairy Cattle Farm: A Case Report
by Monika Beinhauerova, Monika Moravkova, Ruzena Seydlova and Magdalena Crhanova
Microbiol. Res. 2023, 14(3), 1343-1352; https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14030091 - 13 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1615
Abstract
The achlorophyllous unicellular microalga of the genus Prototheca, a causative agent of bovine mammary gland infection, is receiving increasing attention in the field of veterinary medicine. Mastitis caused by these algae leads to significant economic losses for farmers worldwide and represents a [...] Read more.
The achlorophyllous unicellular microalga of the genus Prototheca, a causative agent of bovine mammary gland infection, is receiving increasing attention in the field of veterinary medicine. Mastitis caused by these algae leads to significant economic losses for farmers worldwide and represents a source of threat to raw milk quality and dairy food-chain safety. This case report describes an outbreak of bovine mastitis in dairy cattle caused by Prototheca bovis and the on-farm practices that resulted in the recovery of the affected herd and elimination of the presence of Prototheca spp. in the farm environment. Effective management strategies that played a crucial role in protothecosis eradication included regular screening, timely identification, strict separation of Prototheca-positive cows, a change of housing regime associated with the utilisation of straw mattresses and removal of deep bedding and, finally, the introduction of intermediate disinfection of teat cups with peracetic acid to prevent the spread of infection to other healthy individuals. The eradication process lasted approximately three years and required the removal of 139 cows from the farm. The corrective and preventive measures described in this case report provide guidance to farmers on how to successfully deal with protothecal mastitis on farms. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 1494 KiB  
Article
Population Knowledge and Practices and the Prevalence of Trypanosomes Circulating in Domestic Animals in Three Active Human African Trypanosomiasis Foci in the Republic of Congo
by Irina Bemba, Arsene Lenga, Herman Parfait Awono-Ambene and Christophe Antonio-Nkondjio
Microbiol. Res. 2023, 14(3), 1067-1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14030071 - 4 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1554
Abstract
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is still endemic in the Republic of Congo. Although the incidence of cases has significantly decreased over years, the disease still persists in some active foci. Factors contributing to the maintenance of the disease such as the existence of [...] Read more.
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is still endemic in the Republic of Congo. Although the incidence of cases has significantly decreased over years, the disease still persists in some active foci. Factors contributing to the maintenance of the disease such as the existence of an animal reservoir or population knowledge are still not well known. It is in this context that a study focusing on the knowledge and practices of the population with regard to HAT as well as on the prevalence of trypanosomes infecting animals was undertaken in three active HAT foci in the Republic of Congo. The study was performed using field surveys conducted from November 2019 to June 2021. Domestic animal blood was examined by microscopy and PCR to detect the presence of trypanosomes. A structured questionnaire was administered to the population to assess their knowledge and practices concerning HAT in these endemic foci. More than half of the animals examined were found to be infected with trypanosomes (51.22%). The main trypanosome species infecting animals were Trypanosoma congolense savannah (67.2%) and Trypanosoma brucei (s.l.) (32.8%). No trypanosomes infecting humans were detected. Concerning household surveys, more than half of the respondents (52.9%) were fully aware of the mode of transmission and symptoms of the disease. The majority of people preferred to wear clothes covering the whole body and to use locally made soap as repellents to protect themselves from tsetse fly bites. This study suggests frequent circulation of animal trypanosomes in domestic animals and the use of personal measures to protect against tsetse fly bites. Updating information on the HAT animal reservoir and population knowledge alongside regular monitoring of the tsetse fly populations and the use of traps to control tsetse flies are crucial to drive efforts towards the elimination of gHAT in the Republic of Congo. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

2022

Jump to: 2024, 2023

10 pages, 283 KiB  
Article
Screening for Escherichia coli in Chopping Board Meat Samples and Survey for Sanitary and Hygienic Practices in Retail Meat Shops of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal
by Sagar Regmi, Prem Lal Mahato, Sachin Upadhayaya, Hari Marasini, Raju Prasad Neupane, Janashrit Shrestha, Rebanta Kumar Bhattarai and Santosh Dhakal
Microbiol. Res. 2022, 13(4), 872-881; https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres13040061 - 28 Oct 2022
Viewed by 2781
Abstract
In this study, chopping board meat samples collected from meat shops of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal, were screened for the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli), with a special emphasis on the identification of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains. Representatives from the [...] Read more.
In this study, chopping board meat samples collected from meat shops of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal, were screened for the presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli), with a special emphasis on the identification of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains. Representatives from the meat shops were also interviewed to understand the sanitary status and hygienic practices. E. coli bacteria were detected in one third (33/99) of the meat samples, while none of the samples had ESBL-producing strains. While 60.6% (60/99) of the meat shop personnel wore protective clothing, 15.15% (15/99) used gloves, and only 5.05% (5/99) had separate equipment for cleaning the viscera of animals. This study highlights the need for the regular screening of meat samples to identify pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli and for improvements in the sanitary status and hygienic practices of retail meat shops in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Nepal. Full article
Back to TopTop