Recent demonstration that probiotics administration has positive effects on mood state in healthy populations suggests its possible role as an adjunctive therapy for depression in clinical populations and as a non-invasive strategy to prevent depressive mood state in healthy individuals. The present study extends current knowledge on the beneficial effects of probiotics on psychological well-being, as measured by changes in mood (e.g., cognitive reactivity to sad mood, depression, and anxiety), personality dimensions, and quality of sleep, which have been considered as related to mood. For this double-blind, placebo-controlled study 38 healthy volunteers assigned to an experimental or control group assumed a daily dose of a probiotic mixture (containing Lactobacillus fermentum LF16, L. rhamnosus LR06, L. plantarum LP01, and Bifidobacterium longum BL04) or placebo, respectively, for 6 weeks. Mood, personality dimensions, and sleep quality were assessed four times (before the beginning of the study, at 3 and 6 weeks, and at 3 weeks of washout). A significant improvement in mood was observed in the experimental group, with a reduction in depressive mood state, anger, and fatigue, and an improvement in sleep quality. No between-groups differences were found. These findings corroborate the positive effect of probiotics on mood state and suggest that probiotics administration may improve psychological well-being by ameliorating aspects of mood and sleep quality.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is an increasing health concern. The spread of AMR bacteria (AMRB) between animals and humans via the food chain and the exchange of AMR genes requires holistic approaches for risk mitigation. The AMRB exposure of humans via food is currently only poorly understood leaving an important gap for intervention design.Method: This study aimed to assess AMRB prevalence in retail food and subsequent exposure of Swiss consumers in a systematic literature review of data published between 1996 and 2016 covering the Swiss agriculture sector and relevant imported food.Results: Data from 313 out of 9,473 collected studies were extracted yielding 122,438 food samples and 38,362 bacteria isolates of which 30,092 samples and 8,799 isolates were AMR positive. A median AMRB prevalence of >50% was observed for meat and seafood harboring Campylobacter, Enterococcus, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria, and Vibrio spp. and to a lesser prevalence for milk products harboring starter culture bacteria. Gram-negative AMRB featured predominantly AMR against aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, penicillins, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines observed at AMR exposures scores of levels 1 (medium) and 2 (high) for Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli in meat as well as Vibrio and E. coli in seafood. Gram-positive AMRB featured AMR against glycoproteins, lincosamides, macrolides and nitrofurans for Staphylococcus and Enterococcus in meat sources, Staphylococcus in seafood as well as Enterococcus and technologically important bacteria (incl. starters) in fermented or processed dairy products. Knowledge gaps were identified for AMR prevalence in dairy, plant, fermented meat and novel food products and for the role of specific indicator bacteria (Staphylococcus, Enterococcus), starter culture bacteria and their mobile genetic elements in AMR gene transfer.Conclusion: Raw meat, milk, seafood, and certain fermented dairy products featured a medium to high potential of AMR exposure for Gram-negative and Gram-positive foodborne pathogens and indicator bacteria. Food at retail, additional food categories including fermented and novel foods as well as technologically important bacteria and AMR genetics are recommended to be better integrated into systematic One Health AMR surveillance and mitigation strategies to close observed knowledge gaps and enable a comprehensive AMR risk assessment for consumers.

Foodborne diseases remain a global public health challenge worldwide. The European surveillance system on multistate foodborne outbreaks integrates elements from public and animal health, and the food chain for the early detection, assessment, and control. This review aims to describe the significant outbreaks that occurred in Europe in the last decade. Their significance and relevance in public health laid in the changes, improvements, and novelties that derived and that pushed towards the building of a safer food system in the European Union, certainly driven by the One Health approach. In 2011, a point source monoclonal outbreak of infections caused by Escherichia coli serotype O104:H4 contaminating sprouted seeds recorded hundreds of cases of haemolytic-uremic syndrome and several fatalities. In 2015, a prolonged outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections caused by the contamination of frozen corn affected Europe with 47 cases and nine deaths. In 2016, a persistent polyclonal outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis was linked to the consumption of eggs and was associated with hundreds of cases. These outbreaks commonly highlighted the importance of sharing data (e.g. sequencing and tracing data) with rapidity and the need for harmonizing bioinformatics outputs and computational approaches to facilitate foodborne detection and investigation. Also, they led to the setting of the legal framework for the development of a European collaboration platform to share whole genome sequences data. These outbreaks enabled the enforcement of the existing hygiene and food safety provisions and led the development of new hygiene guidelines and best practises. This paper also briefly touches upon the new trends in information technologies that are being explored in the field of food traceability and safety. Their application aims to enhance the traceability of food throughout the supply chain to redirect the conventional tracing system towards a digitized supply chain.

Moreover, NTM species identified amongst isolates from the slaughterhouse environment clearly differed from those from lymph nodes and faecal samples, excluding cross-contamination of the tissue specimens through the environment or laboratory processing. Assuming that some NTM interfere with the detection of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), the present findings in healthy animals emphasize the need of more specific diagnostic tools for bTB eradication programs.

Microbiological quality of raw milk from eight healthy donkeys reared in Campania Region was investigated. A total of 152 samples were analyzed in order to evaluate the milk safety status\ud trough monitoring mesophilic total bacterial count (TBC) at 32°C and 20°C, psychrophilic TBC at 5°C, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus\ud and somatic cell count (SCC). The ranges for mesophilic bacteria at 32°C, 20°C and psychrophilic bacteria at 5°C were, respectively, 2.80-4.00 Log CFU/mL, 2.84-3.92 Log CFU/mL and\ud 1.27-2.12 Log CFU/ml. Enterobacteriaceae showed a load ranging between 0.68-1.93 Log CFU/mL. No pathogenic bacteria were isolated. Estimated SCC values were always under 50.000 cells/mL. Additionally quantitative changes of bacterial\ud population in raw bulk milk during eight storing days at 8°C and 3°C, were evaluated. Firstly, fresh bulk milk was contaminated by bacteria with a mean TBC at 32°C and 20°C of 2.71 Log CFU/mL\ud and 2.64 Log CFU/mL, respectively, whereas TBC at 5°C and Enterobac teriaceae were not detected. After eight days of storage at 8°C, TBC at 32°C, 20°C and Enterobacteriaceae increased by three Log and TBC at 5°C by five Log. On the other side, after eight days of storage at 3°C no gradual Log\ud increase was detected. Our results showed that donkey milk could be a good healthy ingredient for feeding where good hygienic procedures are applied and storage is kept at temperature lower than 3°C