Occurrence of spp. and Isolated from PDO Taleggio Production Plants.

The present study evaluated the presence of spp. and in four plants producing PDO Taleggio cheese. A total of 360 environmental samples were collected from different areas during production. The sampling points were identified as Food Contact Surfaces (FCS), transfer-Non Food Contact Surfaces (tr-NFCS), and non-transfer-NFCS (non-tr-NFCS). Fifty-nine ingredients/products were also analyzed. spp. was found in all the plants with a mean prevalence of 23.1%; plants that included a ripening area showed significantly higher prevalence if compared to the other plants. The positivity rate detected on FCS was moderate (~12%), but significantly lower if compared to NFCS (about 1/4 of the samples, < 0.01). Among the FCS, higher prevalence was revealed on ripening equipment. spp. was never detected in the ingredients or products. A total of 125 spp. isolates were identified, mostly as (almost 80%). was detected only from two FCS samples, in an area dedicated to the cutting of ripened blue cheeses; strain characterization by whole genome sequencing (WGS) evidenced a low virulence of the isolates. The results of the present study stress the importance of spp. management in the dairy plants producing PDO Taleggio and similar cheeses, mainly by the application of strict hygienic practices.