Potential public health risk due to consumption of contaminated bovine milk with aflatoxin M1 andCoxiella burnetiiin the West of Iran

Review, meta-analysis and carcinogenic risk assessment of aflatoxin M1 in different types of milks in Iran

REVIEWS

Despite in recent decades, several studies on the concentration of aflatoxins M1(AFM1) in various milks have been studied, as we know, no systematic review, meta-analysis and carcinogenic risk assessment study was conducted in Iran till now.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, a systematic review was conducted to collect, meta-analysis and carcinogenic risk assessment of the quantitative data regarding the prevalence and concentration of AFM1 in several types of milk produced in Iran.

CONTENT

In our study, the concentration and prevalence of AFM1 in different types of milk (Raw, pasteurized, and UHT) from 113 original articles in Iran using searching the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar (in Persian and English) databases from 2002 to august 2021 were collected. The concentration of AFM1 was meta-analyzed using the random effect model (REM) based on type of milk (raw, pasteurized and UHT) subgroups and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) approach was used to assess safety risks and investigate carcinogenic effects of AFM1 using Crystal-Ball software (Version 11.1.3, Oracle, Inc., USA).

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

The 113 original article (In English and Persian) were included in this review. Meta-analysis indicated lower and upper of AFM1 in subgroups of raw, pasteurized and UHT milk in Iran was 9, 720, 2.7, 230.2, 19.23, and 221.6 ng/kg respectively. The Point estimate for carcinogenic risk of AFM1 showed as result of age increasing, the carcinogenic risk of Aflatoxin M 1 decreases and concentration of Aflatoxin M1 (ng/liter), plays the most effective role in carcinogenic risk of AFM1.

CONCLUSION

The presence of AFM1 in milk and its products due to its high toxicity and carcinogenic properties is a public health concern that the results show that the risk of carcinogenesis is higher at younger ages (less than 20 years). As a result, there is a strong association between consumption of raw milk, pasteurized milk and UHT and the risk of cancer in children and adults in Iran.

The occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in milk samples of Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In this study, the average level of aflatoxin M1 in various types of milk from 107 articles (297 studies with 16,274 milk samples) were meta-analyzed using random-effect model based on the milk varieties (animal species and heating processes), geographical regions, seasons, detection techniques and dairy farming subgroups. Studies on milk contamination with aflatoxin M1 in Iran were collected using universal and Persian databanks from January 1974 to the end of November 2021. The overall aflatoxin M1 mean concentration and prevalence in milk samples of Iran were 39.65 ng/l (95% CI: 36.00-43.30) and 80% (95% CI: 76-85%), respectively. The rank order of importance of various variables in mean levels of aflatoxin M1 in milk samples included milk type (animal species) > geographical regions > detection techniques > dairy farming types > milk types (heating processes) > seasons. Findings revealed that the overall content of aflatoxin M1 in milk samples of Iran was lower than that allowed by the European Union, Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran, and the USA, possibly due to the milk monitoring by the Iranian regulatory systems.

Mycoviruses in Fungi: Carcinogenesis of Fungal Agents May Not Always Be Mycotoxin Related

Certain viruses have been found to induce diverse biological pathways to carcinogenesis, evidenced by the presence of viral gene products in some tumors. Despite the fact that many fungal agents contain mycoviruses, until recently, their possible direct effects on human health, including carcinogenesis and leukemogenesis, had not been explored. In this regard, most studies of fungal agents have rightly concentrated on their mycotoxin formation and effects. Recently, the direct role of yeasts and fungi in the etiology of cancers, including leukemia, have been investigated. While greater attention has been placed on the carcinogenic effects of Candida, the role of filamentous fungi in carcinogenesis has also been explored. Recent findings from studies using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique indicate that the plasma of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) uniformly contains antibodies for a certain mycovirus-containing Aspergillus flavus, while controls are negative. The exposure of mononuclear leukocytes from patients with ALL in full remission, and long-term survivors, to the product of this organism was reported to result in the re-development of typical genetics and cell surface phenotypes characteristic of active ALL. Mycoviruses are known to be able to significantly alter the biological characteristics and functions of their host. The possible carcinogenic and leukemogenic role of mycoviruses, with and without their host, needs to be further investigated.

State of the art of breeding, milking, and milk processing for the production of curdled milk and Wagashi Gassirè in Benin: Practices favoring the contamination of its dairy products

Introduction

This study aimed to identify the factors favoring the contamination of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassirè cheese during their production and preservation in order to develop strategies to improve their quality.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of 401 randomly selected stakeholders encompassing all levels of the dairy production chain in the Nikki and Dassa-Zoumé communes of Benin was conducted. The data obtained were analyzed using the SAS software for the calculation of frequencies and the R software for classifying the stakeholders based on the hygiene practices they adopted during the production and conservation of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassirè.

Results and discussion

The study identified three types of dairy farmers based on how they medically treated their cattle and implemented hygiene practices, including farmers who (1) relied on themselves or received help from veterinarians trained in animal husbandry and milking to monitor the animals on their farms; (2) relied only on veterinarians; and (3) relied only on themselves. The majority of these dairy farmers felt that hygienic milking practices were very restrictive and difficult to implement. In addition, three groups of Wagashi Gassirè producers were identified: (1) producers trained in good hygiene practices who did not boil or sundry the cheese; (2) producers lacking the infrastructure to protect from weather exposure who used all parts of Calotropis procera for colored Wagashi Gassirè production; and (3) producers who did not often filter the milk and boiled the Wagashi Gassirè in bags before immersion in simple water or whey. The sanitary quality of milk and milk products is influenced by the diverse handling practices employed by producers. These practices must be considered according to the types of farmers and processors when suggesting improved intervention policies.

Co-Occurrence of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and Ochratoxin A in Pasteurized Milk

Pathogens and mycotoxins are serious public health risks for humans and food safety in milk. This study concentrated on detecting <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and Ochratoxin A (OTA) in 210 pasteurized milk from ten urban Beijing districts to suggest the co-occurrence of <i>S. aureus</i> with toxin-producing genes and OTA in milk and the possible risk. <i>S. aureus</i> was identified by physiological and biochemical experiments and molecular biology experiments, and enterotoxin genes were identified by PCR. OTA was detected by LC-MS/MS. The study found 29 isolates of <i>S. aureus</i>, of which 17.24% had the sea gene encoding enterotoxin A. OTA was detected in 31 out of 120 samples and the maximum amount of detection was 18.8 μg/kg. The results of this study indicate that when failing to guarantee the cold chain, the presence of <i>S. aureus</i> with enterotoxin genes in milk will present a risk to food safety. Furthermore, the high detection rates and levels of OTA in milk suggest that OTA is a hidden risk. The co-occurrence of <i>S. aureus</i> and OTA in milk is a food safety concern and there is a need to control the occurrence of these two biohazards in milk.

The epidemiological survey of Coxiella burnetii in small ruminants and their ticks in western Iran

Background

Q fever is one of the most important zoonotic diseases caused by Coxiella burnetii. Although Q fever is an endemic disease in Iran, epidemiological data on C. burnetii infection are not yet complete in reservoirs and vectors in some parts of Iran. This survey investigated C. burnetii infection in small ruminants (sheep and goat blood samples) and their ticks in western Iran (Kurdistan province) in 2020. The presence of C. burnetii DNA was identified in these samples by targeting the IS1111 gene using the quantitative PCR (qPCR) method.

Results

Out of 250 blood samples (232 sheep and 18 goats), C. burnetii was detected in two samples (0.8%) belonging to the sheep (0.9%). In addition, 34 of 244 collected ticks (13.9%) from infested animals (244) were positive for C. burnetii infection. The highest prevalence of infection was found in Dermacentor marginatus (18.3%) and Haemaphysalis concinna (12.5%).

Conclusions

The present study showed that ticks could have a possible role in the epidemiology of Q fever in Iran.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12917-022-03396-0.

Aflatoxin M1 in distributed milks in northwestern Iran: occurrence, seasonal variation, and risk assessment

Aflatoxin is one of the dangerous fungal toxins that is produced in the presence of humidity and heat and lack of proper storage conditions and is considered as a dangerous substance threatening human health. The work aimed to determination of aflatoxin M1 (AFM) level in raw, pasteurized, and sterilized milks offered in the study area and to evaluate the risk of its consumption. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 60 samples of milk types supplied in the region were collected during two series of sampling (cold and hot seasons) and analyzed by ELISA method. LCR, MoE, and HI indices were used to assess the possible risk of consuming milk containing AFM. In all taken samples AFM was found, the toxin concentration range in the first and second series of sampling was 57.5-270.6 ng/L and 57-185.9 ng/L, respectively. The level of toxin in pasteurized and sterilized milks in both sampling series was higher than raw milks. Based on the obtained data and in order to assess the risk of milk consumption in the target population, associated values with EDI, LCR, MoE, and HI were also calculated and obtained in the range of 0.145-0.3 ng/k.d b.w, 0.0008-0.0017 additional case per one million population, 1892.9-3921.6 and 0.72-1.5 ng/kg b.w, respectively. According to the findings, all samples tested are contaminated and although it is within the range of the WHO recommendation, however, based on the calculated indicators, the risk of liver cancer threatens the consumers of these milks. Therefore, it is necessary to manage this issue through educational control and monitoring measures.