Characterisation of microbial communities and quantification of antibiotic resistance genes in Italian wastewater treatment plants using 16S rRNA sequencing and digital PCR.

The spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in humans, animals and environment is a growing threat to public health. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are crucial in mitigating the risk of environmental contamination by effectively removing contaminants before discharge. However, the persistence of ARB and ARGs even after treatment is a challenge for the management of water system.

An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with drinking water in north-eastern Italy, August 2019: microbiological and environmental investigations.

is a leading global cause of waterborne disease, with many reported outbreaks related to main water supplies. In August 2019, an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis involving 80 cases occurred among 114 vacationers in a small municipality located in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, north-eastern Italy. After excluding a potential food-borne outbreak, the epidemiological investigation focussed on the hypothesis of a waterborne outbreak.

An Italian survey on the microbiological safety of toys containing aqueous media.

Aims: The purpose of the present investigation is to fill the current gap in information regarding the microbiological quality of toys containing aqueous media and the related risks for users.

Methods: Over 18 years, a total of 491 sealed toys containing aqueous media were analysed using conventional microbial culture methods. In addition, molecular methods (PCR/nested RT-PCR, followed by Sanger sequencing) were employed to test for enteric viruses (enteroviruses and adenoviruses) in a subset of toys; subsequently, the infectivity of the positive samples was tested on cell cultures.

Microbial Air Quality in Healthcare Facilities.

There is increasing evidence that indoor air quality and contaminated surfaces provide an important potential source for transmission of pathogens in hospitals. Airborne hospital microorganisms are apparently harmless to healthy people. Nevertheless, healthcare settings are characterized by different environmental critical conditions and high infective risk, mainly due to the compromised immunologic conditions of the patients that make them more vulnerable to infections.

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment as support for bathing waters profiling.

Profiling bathing waters supported by Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) is key to the WHO's recommendations for the 2020/2021 revision of the European Bathing Water Directive. We developed an area-specific QMRA model on four pathogens, using fecal indicator concentrations (E. coli, enterococci) for calculating pathogen loads.

Airborne microorganisms associated with waste management and recovery: biomonitoring methodologies.

This paper presents preliminary results from a year-long indoor bioaerosol monitoring performed in three working environments of a municipal composting facility treating green and organic waste. Composting, whereby organic matter is stabilized through aerobic decomposition, requires aeration, causing the dispersion of microbial particles (microorganisms and associated toxins). Waste can, therefore, become a potential source of biological hazard.

Assessment of microbiological and parasitological quality of composted wastes: health implications and hygienic measures.

Feedstock and compost samples were collected from twenty composting plants and analysed from the microbiological point of view. Faecal indicator organisms were determined in order to evaluate the efficacy of processes for the removal of pathogenic micro-organisms with similar survival characteristics and to verify their suitability as appropriate markers of microbial quality of composted products. In addition to the classical bacterial indicators, selected organisms, such as Salmonella, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Clostridium spores and helminth ova, were investigated.