Effects of different concentrations of sodium azide and chloramphenicol on the preservation of raw milk samples

ABSTRACT: The preservation of milk samples for microbiological analyses by the Brazilian Network of Milk Quality Control Laboratories requires the addition of preservatives to maintain the microbiota from the time of sample collection to the moment of analysis. The number of microorganisms can change as a result of the active ingredients and concentration of the preservative, as well as due to interactions between the preservatives, incubation time, and packaging temperature. The objective of this research was to evaluate the conservation potential of different concentrations of sodium azide and chloramphenicol on the analytical shelf life of milk samples. Two farms were selected, one with a low bacterial count and one with a high bacterial count. The milk was dispensed into sterile vials and tested after the addition of the usual concentrations of sodium azide and chloramphenicol, doubled concentrations, tripled concentrations, and as a control, without preservatives. The samples were incubated at 3 ± 1 °C, 6 ± 1 °C, and 9 ± 1 °C for 14 days and analyzed daily for their bacterial count by flow cytometry. The tripled preservative concentrations improved conservation, increasing the timespan of the analytical viability of the samples without altering the results.

Antioxidant role and immunological function of Excoecaria agallocha in Amphiprion sebae against Vibrio alginolyticus

The efficacy of supplementation diet with 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 g kg-1 of Excoecaria agallocha aqueous leaf extract on innate immune response, survival, and disease resistance was reported in clownfish, Amphiprion sebae against Vibrio alginolyticus. The mean weight gain (MWG), specific growth rate (SGR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) did not significantly vary with any supplementation diet except with 5 g kg-1 diet on weeks 6 and 8. The white blood cell (WBC) level significantly increased with any supplementation diets on weeks 6 and 8. The phagocytic activity, alternate complement activity, and lysozyme activity increased significantly with 5 and 10 g kg-1 diet on weeks 6 and 8 whereas the respiratory burst activity significantly increased with any supplementation diets on weeks 6 and 8. The cumulative mortality with the 2.5 and 10 g kg-1 supplementation diets were 10% against V. alginolyticus whereas with 5 g kg-1 supplementation diet only 5%. V. alginolyticus count was high in infected fish fed with control diet as well as the infected fish fed with 2.5 g kg-1 diet had high bacterial count (cfu/g) in kidney, blood, and spleen (1.4 x 102, 1.1 x 103, and 1.2 x 103) whereas it was low with 10 g kg-1 diet in blood, spleen, and kidney (0.6 x 101, 0.2 x 101, and 0.2 x 101). The present results indicate that infected fish fed diet containing 5 and 10 g kg-1 of E. agallocha positively enhance the innate immune response and reduce the mortality in A. sebae against V. alginolyticus infection. Keywords: Disease resistance; Excoecaria agallocha; Innate immune parameter; Mortality; Vibrio alginolyticus

Microbiological quality analysis of commercial fruit juice in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

The aims of this study were to evaluate the microbiological quality of different commercially available fruit juice of Dhaka city. In this study total 20 fruit juice samples of five different types were repeatedly subjected to bacteriological and mycological screening for three months. Isolates were identified and confirmed using cultural and biochemical characteristics. Current study showed high bacterial and fungal loads consisting of specific pathogens such as coliform and Staphylococcus spp., fecal coliform and other pathogens are totally absent. The presence of Staphylococcus aureus portends health risk to consumers as some species produce potent toxins associated with food borne illnesses. And high bacterial count indicated unhygienic conditions of the processing area, and that good manufacturing practices during processing are not maintained properly. Recommendations are required to reduce the microbiological contamination and promote quality assurance of the products. Stamford Journal of Microbiology, Vol.8(1) 2018: 15-18

Evaluation of microbial quality of street food in Karachi City, Pakistan: An epidemiological study

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the microbial quality of famous street foods vended in Karachi city and find out the potential sources implicated in food contamination. To proceed with this study, dry and wet procedures were used via closed system questionnaire and gold standard techniques respectively. According to the questionnaire survey, majority of people have basic knowledge of food borne sickness i.e. 67% and health risks associated with poor eating habits i.e. 87%, nonetheless most individuals do not mind their cleanliness before eating on spot. A large number of people had come across different food borne infections subsequent to eating street foods. Total mean aerobic count was 7.18±1.26 CFU/ml that was not under the acceptable microbial limits. The highest total viable count 9.15±0.01 CFU/ml and the lowest total viable count 4.67±4.04 CFU/ml recorded were of grilled chicken and fried fish respectively. Poor post handling and personal cleanliness of food venders were ascribed to high bacterial count in completely cooked street foods.

Microbial evaluation of some kinds of canned milk available in the markets of Al-Diwaniya city

This study aimed to compare bacterial contamination indicators such as (total bacterial count, total coliform count and faecal coliform count) for some canned milk belonging to different origins (Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi) available in the markets of aDiwaniya city, in comparison with standards parameters and determine the validity of these products for human consumption. Through the results of the current study observed that Kuwaiti canned milk was a high bacterial count (62 × 10 ^ 4)CFU\ml, followed by Syrian canned milk (54 × 10^ 4) CFU\ml and Jordan milk (52 × 10 ^ 4) CFU\ml and Saudi milk with bacterial content (53 × 10 ^ 4) CFU\ml, (51 × 10 ^ 4) CFU\ml and (50 × 10 ^ 4) CFU\ml, respectively, to three types of Saudi canned milk, as for the Iraqi local milk has the amount of bacterial count (42× 10 ^ 4) CFU\ml. Isolation and Identification of contaminated bacteria include (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus spp., Klebsiella. pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Through these indicators, the samples of imported milk was above the standard level of contamination and therefore out the standard of health, either the local milk it contains a less proportion of contamination from the importer, this was due to being produced locally and thus the short period of storage and quick access to the consumer

A case of pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae

Throat cultures from an adult pharyngitis patient yielded Streptococcus pneumoniae as a single organism, with a very high bacterial count. The isolate was found to be macrolide and fluoroquinolone resistant, and the same strain was cultured from the patient's denture washing solution. Ceftriaxone therapy, a gradual reduction in the bacterial count and progressive clinical improvement proceeded at the same pace, so we labelled this clinical case as a pneumococcal pharyngitis.

Dairy Herd Mastitis Quality Control Program

Milk from 34 dairy herds was tested over a 12-month period using a mastitis evaluation program in which Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus and leucocytes were counted. There was a significant decrease in the total mastitic bacterial count (S. agalactiae plus S. aureus) over the testing period; however, the curve was bimodal, showing high points in the winter and summer months. The leucocyte count alone was not a good indicator of the mastitic condition of the herd. In approximately 12% of the test results, there was a high bacterial count with a low leucocyte count or a high leucocyte count with a low bacterial count.