Contribution of Farm-level Hygiene and Handling Practices to Microbial Safety Profiles in the Informal Dairy Sector in Zimbabwe.

The current study assessed (i) the microbiological safety level profiles (MSLPs) of milkmen's hands and milking containers and (ii) the influence of hygiene and handling practices on MSLPs of raw and cultured milk, from six informal dairy farms in Zimbabwe. Interviews and direct observations were carried out during the assessment of hygiene and handling practices at six farms designated A to F. Microbiological criteria of the following six microbiological parameters: Total Bacterial Counts (TBCs), Coliform Counts (CCs), Total Escherichia coli Counts (TECs), Salmonella spp.

Drinking water quality and antibiotic resistance of E. coli and Salmonella spp. from different sources in Gweru urban, Zimbabwe.

The study focused on assessing drinking water quality from different sources in Gweru urban. Seventy six samples were collected from 6 different locations and analysed for physicochemical parameters and microbial quality. Bacteria isolates were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and antibiotic susceptibility was determined for 4 isolates that had been identified as Escherichia coli (2) and Salmonella spp.

Short communication: Source tracking Bacillus cereus in an extended-shelf-life milk processing plant using partial sequencing of rpoB and multilocus sequence typing.

We used rpoB partial sequencing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to characterize 7 Bacillus cereus strains obtained at the following points: ESL milk during shelf life, pasteurized milk, raw milk, and filler nozzles after cleaning in place. The objective of the study was to determine relatedness among B. cereus isolates from several sampling points along an ESL processing plant with the aim of source tracking.