No abstract

Dairy products are characterized by reduced shelf life because they are an excellent growth medium for a wide range of microorganisms. For this reason, it is important to monitor the microbiological quality of dairy products and, in particular, the total viable count and concentration of Escherichia coli, as they are indicators of the hygienic state of these products. In addition, in dairy products such as Mozzarella cheese, it is important to monitor the concentration of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), as they are the major components of starter cultures used in cheese production, contributing to the taste and texture of fermented products and inhibiting food spoilage bacteria by producing growth-inhibiting substances. For these reasons, to ensure the quality and safety of their products, cheese makers should monitor frequently, during fresh cheese production, the concentration of LAB and spoilage bacteria. However, usually, small- to medium-size dairy factories do not have an internal microbiological laboratory and external laboratories of analysis are often too expensive and require several days for the results. Compared with traditional methods, the microbiological survey (MBS) method developed by Roma Tre University (Rome, Italy) allows faster and less-expensive microbiological analyses to be conducted wherever they are necessary, without the need for a microbiological laboratory or any instrumentation other than MBS vials and a thermostat. In this paper, we report the primary validation of the MBS method to monitor LAB concentration in Mozzarella cheese and the analysis, using the MBS method, of total viable count, E. coli, and LAB concentrations in the production line of Mozzarella cheese as well as during the shelf life of the product stored at 20°C. The results obtained indicate that the MBS method may be successfully used by small- to medium-size dairy factories that do not have an internal microbiological laboratory. Using the MBS method, these dairy factories can monitor autonomously the microbiological safety and quality of their products, saving both time and money.

No abstract

No abstract

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections occurring in both community and health care setting. Laboratory diagnosis of UTIs is attained by conventional urine culture which identifies and quantifies infecting bacteria, followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing. This approach is time consuming and requires a considerable workload. A user-friendly, automated test for rapid bacterial quantification has been developed by MBS (a spin-off of Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy) as a point-of-care test (POCT) for UTIs. The aim of this study was to perform a preliminary clinical trial of the new MBS POCT for diagnosis and management of UTIs. Methods: A prospective diagnostic accuracy evaluation study was performed in collaboration with the Emergency Department of the Azienda Ospedaliera Sant' Andrea of Rome (Italy), on 122 patients with clinically suspected UTIs. Results of the MBS POCT were compared with those of the routine tests for urine culture and antibiotic susceptibility. Results: The MBS POCT, used in the Emergency Department, provided a UTI diagnosis in < 5 hours with very high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. However, antibiotic susceptibility evaluation provided some false resistant results, when exceedingly high concentrations of bacteria were present in urines. Conclusion:The MBS POCT represents a valuable diagnostic tool for the detection of UTI, substantially saving time and assuring comparable quality of results, ultimately facilitating the successful management of infections. As for conventional antibiotic susceptibility tests, the bacterial inoculum is critical for significance of results.