Browsing by Author "Portelinha, Rita"
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- Contamination levels that compromise the hygienic condition in the handling of foodPublication . Sousa, Isabel Maria dos Santos; Gonçalves, Marília; Portelinha, Rita; Ferreira, Tânia; Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes; Nogueira, António José M.; Pires, BrunoMicrobiological contamination of food is a major public health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. Most of the contamination is associated with bad practices in the handling and processing of food, due to poor hygiene of food worker´s hands or utensils and surfaces used in this manipulation. This study evaluates the hygienic condition of food handling in the district of Bragança, determining microbial contamination of utensils and worker´s hands, during the period 2009-2011. With respect to the worker´s hands, 39 % of cases showed contamination. In 57 % of these samples total coliforms were identified, in 26% of them fecal coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus in 10% and finally 7% with Escherichia coli. The utensils contamination was confirmed in 30% of samples with results "not satisfactory" and 4 % had results "bad". These contaminations stand out 60 % of the samples with the presence of total germs, 28 % with total coliforms, fecal coliforms with 9 % and even 3 % with Escherichia coli. It was also found that only 37 % of the samples developed positively. It was concluded that there is a better cleaning of utensils manipulation than the worker´s hands, however the trend to improve the hygienic condition is most pronounced in the hands of these workers. The implementation of a program of rules for good hygiene practices will reduce these contaminants to lower levels.
- Contamination levels that compromise the hygienic condition in the handling of foodPublication . Sousa, Isabel Maria dos Santos; Gonçalves, Marília; Portelinha, Rita; Ferreira, Tânia; Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes; Nogueira, António José M.; Pires, BrunoMicrobiological contamination of food is a major public health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. Most of the contamination is associated with bad practices in the handling and processing of food, due to poor hygiene of food worker´s hands or utensils and surfaces used in this manipulation. This study evaluates the hygienic condition of food handling in the district of Bragança, determining microbial contamination of utensils and worker´s hands, during the period 2009-2011. With respect to the worker´s hands, 39 % of cases showed contamination. In 57 % of these samples total coliforms were identified, in 26% of them fecal coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus in 10% and finally 7% with Escherichia coli. The utensils contamination was confirmed in 30% of samples with results "not satisfactory" and 4 % had results "bad". These contaminations stand out 60 % of the samples with the presence of total germs, 28 % with total coliforms, fecal coliforms with 9 % and even 3 % with Escherichia coli. It was also found that only 37 % of the samples developed positively. It was concluded that there is a better cleaning of utensils manipulation than the worker´s hands, however the trend to improve the hygienic condition is most pronounced in the hands of these workers. The implementation of a program of rules for good hygiene practices will reduce these contaminants to lower levels.
- Evaluation of trihalomethanes and aluminum in drinking water in the northwest of PortugalPublication . Moreira, Fátima; Rodrigues, Andreia; Silva, Fabiana; Portelinha, Rita; Pires, Bruno; Afonso, Andrea Luísa Fernandes; Nogueira, António José M.Safe water for human consumption is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as water that does not cause a significant hazard to human health during its consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of trihalomethanes (THM) and aluminum in the drinking water of the District of Bragança, in order to understand the importance of periodicity these analyzes and the risks to the health of the populations that have been supplied by this water. The THM and aluminum in drinking waters, 233 and 230 samples respectively, were analyzed in Public Health Laboratory of Bragança, in northeast of Portugal between January 1996 and April 2005, according to the guidelines of European Directives of 1980 and 1998. The THM concentration was determined by gas-liquid chromatography and aluminum concentration was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The THM were determined in 233 samples, of which only two showed a concentration greater than the Maximum Acceptable Value (MAV=150 µg/L), from reservoirs of the region of Moncorvo. This value represents a minority (0,9%), compared to the total number of analyzed samples. The determination of aluminum was performed in 230 samples, of which 11.3% exceeded the MAV=200 µg/L. The region of Mogadouro exhibited the major number of samples (n = 10) with concentrations above the MAV. Individuals that consumed this water with high levels of THM and aluminum in particular the individuals of the regions of Moncorvo and Mogadouro, may be associated with several potential health risks.
- Infecções nosocomiais provocados por staphylococcus aureus meticilina resistente (MRSA) na unidade local de saúde do nordeste, unidade hospitalar de BragançaPublication . Nascimento, Luís; Novo, André; Martins, Pedro; Portelinha, RitaO Staphylococcus aureus faz parte da flora natural, principalmente da pele e membranas mucosas de uma grande parte dos mamíferos, podendo tornar-se patogénicos em condições como a quebra de barreira cutânea ou a diminuição da imunidade. O principal reservatório de S. aureus é o Homem, podendo estar presente na microbiota natural das fossas nasais, apontada, então, como uma importante via de disseminação do microrganismo, através dos profissionais da saúde no ambiente hospitalar. O objectivo deste estudo foi avaliar a prevalência de infecções nosocomiais provocadas por S. aureus Meticilina Resistentes (MRSA) na Unidade Local de Saúde do Nordeste (ULSNE), nos anos de 2010 a 2012, de acordo com o período de hospitalização, idade e género do paciente, serviço hospitalar em que o paciente se encontrava e tipo de amostra colhida para análise. Do total de 650 casos de infecção por MRSA, 487 (74,9%) ocorreram na Unidade de Bragança, 124 (19,1%) na Unidade de Mirandela e 39 (6,0%) na Unidade de Macedo de Cavaleiros. Verificou-se maior percentagem de infecções por MRSA em doentes do género Masculino 412 (63,4%), na faixa etária dos 61 – 80 anos 432 (40,4%) e no Serviço de Medicina Interna 151 (23,3%).