| Congresso Brasileiro de Microbiologia 2023 | Resumo: 741-1 | ||||
Resumo:Production of Minas Artisanal Cheese (QMA) represents a traditional and important activity in Minas Gerais state, involving cultural, social and economic aspects. This type of cheese is produced using raw milk, which guarantees specific characteristics to the product but, on the other hand, can allow the transmission of pathogens to the consumers. One of these pathogens is Brucella spp., responsible for causing brucellosis, a debilitating disease of relevance for both animal and human health. This disease is acquired by humans, for example, by ingesting contaminated dairy products, since the infected animal can excrete the bacteria in milk. There is evidence that this microorganism can be found in unpasteurized milk cheeses until 17 days of maturation, indicating a great risk to public health. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of Brucella spp. in QMA and in the ingredients used for its manufacture (milk and pingo), using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. For this, 82 samples were used, including 10 of pingo, 9 of milk and 63 of cheese at different ripeness times (1, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 63 days), from 11 properties in the Araxá region, all registered as official QMA producers at the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA). For DNA extraction, the Qiagen DNeasy PowerFood Microbial kit was used, according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Next, PCR was performed to identify the genus Brucella targeting that encodes the 31-kDa antigen. Among the results, one sample [1.22% (1/82)] of cheese on day 1 of maturation was positive for Brucella spp. Although the identification of the genetic material of the bacteria does not ensure the viability of the microorganism in the cheese, this result indicates the presence of infected animals on the property and excretion of the bacteria in the milk, which represents a risk to public health and great impact on the QMA production chain. Hence, it is important to intensify measures to control brucellosis in herds intended for the production of QMA, as well as greater surveillance of marketed products, in order to guarantee food security. In conclusion, there is potential risk of Brucella transmission associated with the consumption of QMA.
Development Agency: FAPEMIG, CNPq, CAPES. Palavras-chave: brucellosis, food security, QMA, zoonosis Agência de fomento:FAPEMIG, CNPq, CAPES | |||||