Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP), including gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE), characterize a major cause of maternal and prenatal morbidity and mortality. In this systematic review, we tested the hypothesis that occupational factors would impact the risk for HDP in pregnant workers. MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge databases were searched for studies published between database inception and 1 April 2021. All observational studies enrolling > 10 pregnant workers and published in English were included. Un-experimental, non-occupational human studies were excluded. Evidence was synthesized according to the risk for HDP development in employed women, eventually exposed to chemical, physical, biological and organizational risk factors. The evidence quality was assessed through the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Out of 745 records identified, 27 were eligible. No definite conclusions could be extrapolated for the majority of the examined risk factors, while more homogenous data supported positive associations between job-strain and HDP risk. Limitations due to the lack of suitable characterizations of workplace exposure (i.e., doses, length, co-exposures) and possible interplay with personal issues should be deeply addressed. This may be helpful to better assess occupational risks for pregnant women and plan adequate measures of control to protect their health and that of their children.

Toxoplasmosis is a widespread worldwide zoonotic infection caused by the intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. This protozoan infection is considered one of the most important food-borne parasitic zoonoses globally. Beyond its impact on public health, toxoplasmosis has also important veterinary implications, because it causes miscarriage or congenital malformations in livestock with negative economic impacts. An integrated monitoring programme aimed to deepen the epidemiological data on toxoplasmosis and to identify the risk factors that may favour T. gondii infections in animals and humans was conducted in an endemic area of southern Italy. The monitoring activities were based on the following tasks: (i) parasitological analysis and risk factors for T. gondii in livestock (sheep, goat, cattle and water buffalo) farms; (ii) serological and molecular monitoring at slaughterhouse in meat-producing livestock; (iii) analysis of hospital discharge records (HDRs); (iv) outreach activities (information, dissemination and health education) to farmers, vet practitioners and school-age children. The present study confirmed a very high seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in livestock farms (e.g., up to 93.1% in sheep farms) in southern Italy and highlighted the potentially significant public health risk in this area.

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Infection in humans has usually been related to the consumption of raw, undercooked or cured meat. The aim of this study was to develop a droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR)-based assay for the detection and quantification of T. gondii in meat samples. To optimize the ddPCR, T.gondii reference DNA aliquots at five known concentrations: 8000 cg/µl, 800 cg/µl, 80 cg/µl, 8 cg/µl were used. Moreover, results obtained by ddPCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were compared using 80 known samples (40 positive and 40 negative), as well as 171 unknown diaphragm tissue samples collected at slaughterhouses. The ddPCR showed a sensitivity of 97.5% and a specificity of 100%, with a detection limit of 8 genomic copy/µl of T. gondii. A nearly perfect agreement (κ = 0.85) was found between results obtained by ddPCR and qPCR for both positive and negative known samples analysed. On the 171 diaphragm tissue samples from field, 7.6% resulted positive by ddPCR and only 1.2% by qPCR. Therefore, this innovative method could be very useful for the detection of T. gondii in meat samples, aiming to prevent human infections.

Bacillus cereus, a bacteria frequently associated with food spoilage, is responsible for 2 different foodborne illness in humans: a diarrheal disease, associated with cytotoxin K, hemolysin BL and a non-hemolytic enterotoxin, and an emetic syndrome, associated with the cereulide toxin. The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of B. cereus in 515 hard and soft cheeses collected in southern Italy. The strains were molecularly characterized for the presence of hblA, hblC, hblD, nheA, nheB, nheC, cytK, and entFM genes, related to the production of enterotoxins (trimeric hemolysin BL, trimeric non-hemolytic enterotoxin, cytotoxin K and enterotoxin FM). One hundred thirty eight samples (26.8%) were found contaminated by B. cereus. One hundred of the contaminated samples (72.5%) showed a level of B. cereus contamination ≤103 CFU/g, whereas 9 (6.5%) samples showed a contamination >105 CFU/g. Seven different molecular profiles were found among the 138 strains of B. cereus isolated. The most common profile was nheABC-entFM, found in 42 strains, followed by the hblACD-nheABC-cytK-entFM, found in 33 strains, the nheABC-cytK-entFM, found in 24 strains, the hblACD-nheABC-entFM, found in 11 strains, the hblACD-nheAC-entFM, found in 15 strains, and the nheC-entFM, found in 12 strains. Eleven strains did not harbored any of these genes. In 7.2% (37/515) of samples, characterized by a bacterial contamination >103 CFU/g, we found B. cereus strains harboring genes encoding for at least one complete enterotoxin.

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