Papers by Paola Cremonesi
Journal of Food Science, 2012
The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus ... more The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in 122 samples, including 60 raw milk, 32 white cheese, 10 kashar cheese, 10 butter, and 10 ice cream samples obtained from Samsun province, Turkey. In this study, S. aureus was detected in 64 samples, including raw milk (45/60; 75%), white cheese (12/32; 37.5%), kashar cheese (3/10; 30%), butter (3/10; 30%), and ice cream (1/10; 10%) samples. A total of 81 isolates were identified as S. aureus by PCR with the presence of 16S rRNA and nuc genes. The presence of genes encoding the staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) SEA, SEB, SEC, and SED was detected by multiplex PCR. According to the analysis, seven isolates from the raw milk samples (7/51; 13.7%) were enterotoxigenic; five of them produced SEA (5/7; 71.4%), one produced SEB (1/7; 14.2%), and one produced SEA+SEB (1/7; 14.2%). Four isolates from the white cheese samples (4/21; 19%) produced the SEA (1/4; 25%), SEC (1/4; 25%), SED (1/4; 25%), and SEA+SED (1/4; 25%) toxins. Two isolates from the kashar cheese samples (2/4; 50%) were found to be enterotoxigenic; one produced SEA (1/2; 50%) and the other produced SED (1/2; 50%). One isolate from the butter samples (1/4; 25%) showed enterotoxigenic character (SEB, 1/1; 100%). The products were found to be potentially hazardous to public health because of the fact that levels of contamination were higher than 105-106 cfu/g ml in 39% (25/64, 17 raw milk, 7 white cheese, and 1 butter) of the analyzed samples.
ARPHA Conference Abstracts
Soil is a fundamental component of the biosphere, whose properties and quality are affected by hu... more Soil is a fundamental component of the biosphere, whose properties and quality are affected by human activities, such as agriculture. Soil health is fundamental for different ecosystem services and soil biota has a crucial role in maintaining it. Elucidating how different crops and agricultural practices affect soil invertebrates communities is of relevance. In the present study, a DNA metabarcoding approach was adopted to evaluate the effects of different biotic and abiotic factors, including agricultural practices, on the composition and diversity of soil invertebrate communities of different agro-ecosystems (Po Plain-Italy). At this aim, the DNA markers and the more effective primers in retrieving soil metazoan communities were established. Bulk soil samples from different agro-ecosystems (i.e., cornfield, alfalfa, paddy fields, vineyard, stable meadow, woodland) were collected and, processed for obtaining 18S rRNA and coi sequences (raw reads analyzed using QIIME2 and R). Soil p...
Frontiers in Animal Science
In dairy ruminants, a diet supplemented with feed rich in unsaturated fatty acids can be an effec... more In dairy ruminants, a diet supplemented with feed rich in unsaturated fatty acids can be an effective medium to increase the health-promoting properties of milk, although their effect on the pathways/genes involved in these processes has not been properly and completely defined to date. To improve our knowledge of the cell’s activity in specific conditions, next-generation RNA-sequencing technology was used to allow whole transcriptome characterization under given conditions. In addition to this, microRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been known as post-transcriptional regulators in fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism by targeting lipid metabolism genes. In this study, to analyze the transcriptome and miRNAs in goat milk after a supplemental diet enriched with linoleic acid (hemp seeds), next-generation RNA-sequencing was used in order to point out the general biological mechanisms underlying the effects related to milk fat metabolism. Ten pluriparous Alpine goats were fed with the same...
Regione Lombardia, Jun 1, 2014
Il latte e tutta la sua filiera rappresentano un elemento caratterizzante dell\u2019agroalimentar... more Il latte e tutta la sua filiera rappresentano un elemento caratterizzante dell\u2019agroalimentare italiano. In questo panorama gioca un ruolo di primo piano Regione Lombardia con le sue 6.500 stalle di bovini da latte, tra cui 3.500 aziende specializzate e un parco di sole frisone che supera i 500.000 capi, con una produttivit\ue0 media annua per capo che sfiora i 100 quintali/anno, capace di coprire da sola il 40% dell\u2019intera produzione nazionale. Questa eccellenza produttiva rappresenta la base su cui sono nati alcuni dei pi\uf9 importanti prodotti DOP del nostro agroalimentare, oltre che un traino per l\u2019innovazione dell\u2019intera filiera, dalla mangimistica all\u2019industria lattiero-casearia. Un\u2019innovazione che deve consentire ai nostri allevatori di produrre un latte di alta qualit\ue0 e sanit\ue0 e allo stesso tempo di poter vedere remunerato il loro lavoro. Senza dubbio la mastite, oggetto di questo quaderno, rappresenta oggi uno dei problemi pi\uf9 rilevanti dell\u2019allevamento delle bovine da latte, impattando sia sul benessere animale e sulla qualit\ue0 del prodotto latte, sia sul reddito dell\u2019allevatore a causa dei costi per la gestione veterinaria della patologia, senza considerare le perdite causate dall\u2019uscita anticipata delle bovine dal ciclo produttivo. Sostenendo il progetto \u201cApplicazione di sistemi molecolari innovativi per il controllo in campo delle mastiti bovine - MASTFIELD\u201d, Regione Lombardia ha voluto rafforzare le azioni di ricerca sulla mastite. In questa pubblicazione sono raccolti e presentati i risultati di tre anni di sperimentazione. In particolare i risultati del progetto offrono agli allevatori da un lato l\u2019opportunit\ue0 di disporre di un sistema innovativo, basato su marcatori molecolari, per selezionare animali che presentano valori costantemente alti o bassi di cellule somatiche, misura correntemente usata come indicatore di mastite; dall\u2019altro un sistema diagnostico rapido in grado di identificare direttamente in allevamento tra i ceppi del batterio Staphylococcus aureus, responsabile della patologia, quelli maggiormente patogeni e diffusivi, per una lotta pi\uf9 mirata, tempestiva ed efficace
Frontiers in Physiology, 2022
Early feed restriction of lambs may program animals to achieve reduced feed efficiency traits as ... more Early feed restriction of lambs may program animals to achieve reduced feed efficiency traits as a consequence of permanent mitochondrial dysfunction. The hypothesis at the background of the present study is that dietary administration of L-Carnitine (a compound that promotes the activation and transportation of fatty acids into the mitochondria) during the fattening period of early feed restricted lambs can: (a) improve the biochemical profile of early feed restricted lambs, (b) improve feed efficiency, (c) modulate the ruminal and intestinal microbiota, and (d) induce changes in the gastrointestinal mucosa, including the immune status. Twenty-two newborn male Merino lambs were raised under natural conditions but separated from the dams for 9 h daily to allow feed restriction during the suckling period. At weaning, lambs were assigned to a control group being fed ad libitum a complete pelleted diet during the fattening phase (CTRL, n = 11), whereas the second group (CARN, n = 11) r...
Additional file 4. Methylated Regions (MRs) found at least in three samples in both high motile (... more Additional file 4. Methylated Regions (MRs) found at least in three samples in both high motile (HM) and low motile (LM) sperm populations overlapping gene bodies. Columns report: Probe name, position (Chromosome, Start, End), Feature, protein ID, Description, MRs percentage for each sample (1HM, 2HM, 3HM, 4HM, 1LM, 2LM, 3LM, 4LM).
Animals, 2022
Goji berries show health benefits, although the possible mechanisms of action, including composit... more Goji berries show health benefits, although the possible mechanisms of action, including compositional changes in the gut microbiome, are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Goji berry supplementation on microbiota composition and metabolites in the digestive tracts of rabbits. Twenty-eight New Zealand White rabbits were fed with a commercial feed (control group, C; n = 14) or the same diet supplemented with 3% of Goji berries (Goji group, G; n = 14), from weaning (35 days old) until slaughter (90 days old). At slaughter, samples from the content of the gastrointestinal tracts were collected and analyzed by Next Generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing to evaluate the microbial composition. Ammonia and lactic acid were also quantified in caecum. Results showed differences in microbiota composition between the groups for two phyla (Cyanobacteria and Euryarchaeota), two classes (Methanobacteria and Bacilli), five orders, fourteen families, and fo...
Materials and Methods Soil samples were collected from organic and conventional farms, covering t... more Materials and Methods Soil samples were collected from organic and conventional farms, covering the margin and three levels towards the center of a stable meadow and a barley field in both farms; each sample consisted of 10 homogenized cores of soil (~560 cm 3), sampling was performed in spring, summer and autumn Soil texture, pH, N and C parameters were measured. Farms are located in the municipalities of Albairate (MI) and Cisliano (MI).
Large Animal Review, 2010
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a well-known cause of skin and soft tissue ... more Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a well-known cause of skin and soft tissue infections in humans, both in hospital and community settings. Companion animals (dogs, cats, horses) can experience such infections as the consequence of penetrating wound and surgery. Nasal and skin carriage are proved predisposing factors. Production animals are frequently healthy carriers of the Livestock-associated sequence type 398 (ST398) at nasal and other body sites level. Cattle mastitis can be caused by MRSA. Wild animals are thought to be less exposed to MRSA due to presumed uncontaminated environment and lack of antibiotics selective pressure. Yet, MRSA was recently detected in free-ranging species in aquatic and terrestrial environment in North America. In wild ruminant, a low prevalence of ST398 MRSA carriage was recently reported in healthy Iberian Ibex and red deer. S. aureus isolates included were obtained from a kid chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra), that was euthanized by gamekeepers, due to walking impairment and painful status, in autumn 2011 in north-western Italian Alps. A post-mortem examination was performed. Samples for bacteriological analysis were swabs collected from nasal cavities and organs (brain, lung, liver, spleen and kidney). After an overnight incubation in Brain Hearth Infusion at 37\ub0C, 100 \u3bcl of the preenrichment were plated onto 5% sheep blood agar. Bacteria were identified according to colony morphology, hemolysis, Gram-stain andreaction to catalase and coagulase tests. They underwent confirmation by PCR, antimicrobial susceptibility test and typing. S. aureus was isolated from nasal mucosa and liver. No other relevant bacterial growth was detected. At the post-mortem examination, animal showed a good kidney fat deposit and regular contents of stomach compartments. No macroscopic lesions were observed. PCR revealed mecA gene in the liver isolate. Antimicrobial susceptibility test confirmed resistance to all beta-lactams tested (amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, penicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, cefoxitin) besides resistance to fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin) and susceptibility to tetracycline. This resistance profile is unusual for MRSA commonly isolated from livestock and poultry, due to coexistence of sensibility to tetracycline and resistance to fluoroquinolones. No antimicrobial resistance was detected in the nasal isolate. Multi Locus Sequence Typing revealed two different new ST, namely ST 2716 for MRSA from the liver and ST2715 for nasal mucosa isolate. This accidental isolation of MRSA in a free-living wild animal opens new perspectives in MRSA spread. Surveillance on lineages and their prevalence should be implemented among wild animal population to clarify host specificity and to assess zoonotic potential of S. aureus
Italian Journal of Animal Science, 2020
Milk protein genes are known to be highly polymorphic. Several studies have shown the influence o... more Milk protein genes are known to be highly polymorphic. Several studies have shown the influence of milk proteins genetic variants and casein haplotypes on milk nutritional and technological properties. From 1990, the analysis of caseins polymorphism gained new attention due to the concern about possible negative effects of CSN2 Ã A 1 on human health. As a consequence, the CSN2 Ã A 2 variant gained interest and milk produced by with A 2 A 2 b-casein cows is now available in different countries. Aim of the present paper was to analyse how casein variants' and haplotypes' frequencies changed in the Italian Holstein breed, due to the health 'claims' about CSN2 Ã A 2 , and the possible effects on milk technological properties. Data were compared also with Italian Jersey cattle. A total of 223,655 Holstein and of 622 Jersey were genotyped using Illumina beadchips and data of 62 SNP in the casein cluster were analysed to reconstruct casein genotypes and haplotypes. The results demonstrate that although the selection towards b-casein A 2 is not so effective in Italy, an increase of the frequency of this allele to the disadvantage of A 1 and B alleles, included in the most favourable genotypes and haplotypes for cheese making, is occurring and should not be forced. Indeed, although a selection for the favourable j-casein B allele, and against the unfavourable E allele, is occurring and is limiting the general loss of haplotypes associated with good technological properties, the sharp decrease of the favourable B-B and I-B b-j-haplotypes, is an alert of the risk of losing useful biodiversity. HIGHLIGHTS After the concern about the b-caseinA1 variant on human health, a selection favoring the A2 allele was carried out in different countries. In Italy milk is mostly destined to cheese-making and even without a direct selection for theb-casein A2 caseins allelic frequencies are changing. Genotyping data should be used to monitor and maybe contrast the reduction of variants associated with milk favorable technological properties.
CABI Reviews, 2019
The theme of the loss of biodiversity in recent years has become increasingly important as highli... more The theme of the loss of biodiversity in recent years has become increasingly important as highlighted by the United Nations General Assembly which declared the 2011-2020 period as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. In this context, the preservation and rational use of autochthonous cattle breeds play a key role in the maintenance of the biodiversity. The animal husbandry of the twenty-first century has brought about a decline in biodiversity of bovine breeds, due to the abandonment of autochthonous cows in favour of more productive cosmopolitan breeds. The intense selection for milk traits applied on the cosmopolitan breeds has resulted nowadays in peculiar physiological features, which have impaired some immune defence mechanisms, increasing the incidence of infectious and metabolic diseases, and worsened both fertility and longevity. The situation is dramatically different within the autochthonous breeds. These animals, despite the apparent 'low production', prese...
LWT, 2019
characterisation of two Enterococcus lactis strains and their potential on Listeria monocytogenes... more characterisation of two Enterococcus lactis strains and their potential on Listeria monocytogenes growth behaviour in stored chicken breast meats: Generalised linear mixed-effects approaches, LWT-Food Science and Technology (2018), doi:
BMC genomics, Jan 4, 2017
Small RNAs present in bovine ejaculate can be linked to sperm abnormalities and fertility disorde... more Small RNAs present in bovine ejaculate can be linked to sperm abnormalities and fertility disorders. At present, quality parameters routinely used in semen evaluation are not fully reliable to predict bull fertility. In order to provide additional quality measurements for cryopreserved semen used for breeding, a method based on deep sequencing of sperm microRNA (miRNA) and Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) from individual bulls was developed. To validate our method, two populations of spermatozoa isolated from high and low motile fractions separated by Percoll were sequenced, and their small RNAs content characterized. Sperm cells from frozen thawed semen samples of 4 bulls were successfully separated in two fractions. We identified 83 miRNAs and 79 putative piRNAs clusters that were differentially expressed in both fractions. Gene pathways targeted by 40 known differentially expressed miRNAs were related to apoptosis. Dysregulation of miR-17-5p, miR-26a-5p, miR-486-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-1...
Livestock Science, 2016
The interpretation of mutual relationship among milk fatty acids (FA) is not easy due to the high... more The interpretation of mutual relationship among milk fatty acids (FA) is not easy due to the high number of FA contained in milk fat and to the high degree of correlation among them. Multivariate analysis includes different statistical approaches that could help explaining complex pattern of variables. In this study, Multivariate Factor Analysis (MFA) was used to decompose the correlation matrix of 47 FA and milk production traits (milk yield and protein and fat content) measured in 300 Italian Holstein Friesian cows reared in the North of Italy in 23 commercial dairy farms, representative of the intensive dairy system. MFA was able to extract seven latent factors with specific biologic meaning: secretion of Long Chain FA (K LCFA), mammary FA de novo synthesis (K m), rumen biohydrogenation (K bh), synthesis of odd chain FA (K o), synthesis of branched chain FA (K b), mammary desaturation activity (K d), milk yield (K my). According to the pattern of communalities of the factor analysis, C18:3c9c12c15 was the only FA, along with C18:2t11c15, to be uncorrelated with the other variables and it seemed to be excluded by the metabolic pattern described by the seven factors. The desaturation products of the SCD enzyme were independently associated to three latent factors, suggesting new insights in the regulation of SCD activity. Factors were considered as new quantitative phenotypes related to prominent features of milk FA profile. With the aim of evaluating the feeding regimen and animal effects, latent factors were analysed with a mixed model, which considered the fixed effect of lactation stage, parity, some feeding regimen characteristics and the random effect of bull. Lactation stage significantly affected K m and K my factors. In perspective, the seven factors extracted by applying MFA analysis to milk FA composition could be considered as new and more informative traits to test the effect of endogenous and exogenous variation factors.
Microbes in Applied Research, 2012
BMC Genomics, 2019
Background: Sperm epigenetics is an emerging area of study supported by observations reporting th... more Background: Sperm epigenetics is an emerging area of study supported by observations reporting that abnormal sperm DNA methylation patterns are associated with infertility. Here, we explore cytosine-guanine dinucleotides (CpGs) methylation in high (HM) and low motile (LM) Bos taurus sperm populations separated by Percoll gradient. HM and LM methylation patterns were investigated by bisulfite sequencing. Results: Comparison between HM and LM sperm populations revealed that methylation variation affects genes involved in chromatin organization. CpG Islands (CGIs), were highly remodelled. A high proportion of CGIs was found to be methylated at low/intermediate level (20-60%) and associated to the repetitive element BTSAT4 satellite. The low/intermediate level of methylation in BTSAT4 was stably maintained in pericentric regions of chromosomes. BTSAT4 was hypomethylated in HM sperm populations. Conclusions: The characterization of the epigenome in HM and LM Bos taurus sperm populations provides a first step towards the understanding of the effect of methylation on sperm fertility. Methylation variation observed in HM and LM populations in genes associated to DNA structure remodelling as well as in a repetitive element in pericentric regions suggests that maintenance of chromosome structure through epigenetic regulation is probably crucial for correct sperm functionality.
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Papers by Paola Cremonesi