Biological hazards among meat industry workers

BACKGROUND The Italian meat supply chain is a large-scale industry typically characterized linked to circuit of DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) products. In this reality all workers are exposed to a wide range of biological agents that have developed antibiotic resistance and, therefore, represent a public and occupational health issue. METHODS An anamnestic semi-structured interview was performed to the study participants, in order to better define the risk exposure, which was followed by physical examination of the skin and skin appendages. Samples of nasal swabs were sown, within 24 hours, in Mannitol Salt Agar growth medium, specific for the detection of Staphylococcus Aureus. After an incubation period, we selected positive colonies for S. aureus in order to undergo genetic tests to detect the presence of MRSA. MRSA positive samples were analyzed, at last, with a specific PCR for the ST398, swine specific sequence type. RESULTS 162 workers joined the study, which was performed a physical examination of hand skin, a nasal swab and then given an anamnestic semi-structured interview. The sample was composed of 139 males and 23 females, mean age 45 years, with average seniority of 10 years. From 162 nasal swabs championships, a first analysis of culture media for Staphylococcus Aureus showed 35 positive (21.6%). The molecular analysis revealed only one MRSA sample, belonging to a butcher's meat processing company. (0.6%). The molecular analysis did not confirm the positivity for genotype 398, which characterizes the infection in pigs. CONCLUSION Recontamination with Staphylococcus Aureus occurs via surface treating machinery, as a result of fecal contamination at evisceration, or via increased human handling during meat processing. Our study revealed a low risk for MRSA, because of superficial heat treatments such as scalding and flaming that reduce significantly the burden of MRSA on the carcasses.