An outbreak of Salmonella Hadar associated with roast rabbit in a restaurant.

In August 1997, an outbreak of gastroenteritis from Salmonella Hadar phage type 2 occurred among customers of a restaurant in Rimini (Emilia-Romagna region, Italy). Twenty-nine people who had eaten food prepared in the restaurant on 2 or 3 August had symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. The infection was culture-confirmed in 24 cases and the stool specimens of four healthy people were positive for Salmonella Hadar.

Use of gloves and prevalence of glove-related reactions in a sample of general dental practitioners in Italy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of the use of gloves and to assess the prevalence of glove-related symptoms in a sample of Italian dentists with a high occupational exposure to latex gloves.

Method And Materials: A 31-question instrument was mailed to all dentists (n = 550) practicing in the town of Bologna during 1994 to determine the type of procedures for which gloves were worn by dentists and the prevalence of self-reported glove-related symptoms.

Results: Of the dentists who replied to the items (n = 160), 94% reported that they usually wear nonsterile latex examination gloves; and 46% reported that they wear surgical gloves, even if not exclusively.

Distribution of indicator bacteria and bacteriophages in shellfish and shellfish-growing waters.

Shellfish (mussels and clams) and shellfish-growing waters were examined for indicator bacteria according to the EC regulations, Salmonella spp., coliphages and anti-Salmonella phages. Samples were collected both from natural-growing areas along the coast and from authorized shellfish-harvesting beds.

Evaluation of disinfection treatment systems for municipal wastewater reclamation and reuse.

The efficiency of a number of tertiary treatment systems--filtration, ozonation, chlorination with low levels (TRC < 0.2 ppm) and high levels (TRC < 1 ppm) of residual chlorine--in the disinfection of secondary effluent was assessed in a purification plant treating mixed sewage of municipal (83%) and industrial mainly textile origin (17%). Maximum purification effect was observed when, following secondary treatment with biological oxidation, the sewage was submitted to combined filtration--ozonation treatment (reduction in bacterial indicators of from 4.

Comparison of different selective methods for detection of Listeria species in surface water.

Tests were carried out to evaluate the efficiency of various combinations of selective enrichment and plating techniques using pure cultures of Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria seeligeri and Listeria innocua in suspension and samples of surface water. The best yields for the various Listeria spp. were obtained after a single passage in LEB (Oxoid) or LEB Buffered (Oxoid) and after using Palcam and Oxford agar (Oxoid).

Study of the prevalence of Listeria spp. in surface water.

The quantity of Listeria species was determined in 49 samples of various types of water (river, brackish water, urban wastewater). Twenty nine strains of Listeria were isolated. These were mainly identified as Listeria monocytogenes (72,4%), but Listeria innocua, Listeria grayi, Listeria ivanohovii and Listeria welshimeri were also present.