Recovery of Brucella in raw milk Minas artisanal cheese approved for consumption by official inspection agency in Brazil: assessment of prevalence and risk factors through One Health integrated approaches

Abstract

Background Minas artisanal cheese (MAC) from the Serro region is a Brazilian intangible cultural heritage. Produced from raw milk, it may carry zoonotic pathogens such as Brucella. This study included a randomized survey for the prevalence of Brucella-positive MAC and its associated factors. Methods MAC samples (n=55), each one from a different rural family-based cheese-processing agroindustry, were analysed for Brucella by direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) species-specific DNA detection and cultivation-based approaches. Results Among 55 MACs that were analysed, we found 17 Brucella DNA-positive samples (30.9% [95% confidence interval {CI} 18.7 to 43.1]) by PCR and, for the first time, from one MAC (1.8% [95% CI 0.5 to 9.7]), viable Brucella abortus was recovered by cultivation. Higher values for two variables, the number of lactating cows per herd (p=0.043) and daily milk production per herd (p=0.043), were each associated with Brucella-positive MAC, which concentrated in three high-risk and one low-risk spatial clusters. Conclusions MAC may be a source of Brucella for humans, since the positive samples were from batches that were sold by cheesemakers. This should be of concern and encourage cooperation between the health and agriculture sectors in order to mitigate this public health risk through One Health integrated approaches.

Brazilian artisanal and authorial cheeses: what is said about these products in the media and in the scientific community?

“…Frequently, Minas artisanal cheese microbiology is object from researchers, mainly with regard to the microbiological quality control of these products. In addition, microbiota studies have increased, aiming to identify the microorganisms present that may be responsible for the flavors attributed to these products (ANDREATTA et al, 2019;CAMARGO et al, 2021;DE SOUZA et al, 2021;SILVA et al, 2022).…”

Unveiling Safety Concerns in Brazilian Artisanal Cheeses: A Call for Enhanced Ripening Protocols and Microbiological Assessments

“…Likewise, Silva et al [ 54 ] found that 31% of Serro cheese samples were positive for the presence of field strains of Brucella sp., even though they came from serologically negative herds. Silva et al [ 55 ] found that, in 1.8% of the samples, B. abortus biovar 2 field strains were recovered by cultivation. These latter two studies highlight that their samples were taken from cheeses ripened for periods ranging from 4 to 8 days, and they were already marketed after an official certification that the herd is free of brucellosis.…”

“…In those cases, the cheese pH does not decrease as much as needed to inactivate Brucella . Therefore, the consumption of cheese with a low ripening time represents a great health hazard [ 54 , 55 ].…”