Prevalence and sources of cheese contamination with pathogens at farm and processing levels

Cheeses, even though characterized as safe for consumption, have been implicated in foodborne outbreaks associated with severe symptoms and high fatality rate. The foodborne pathogens in raw milk originate from the farm environment and direct excretion from animals infected udder, whereas in dairy plants the pathogens may enter via contaminated raw milk, colonize the dairy plant environment and consequently contaminate dairy products. Important source of contamination during the handling and processing might be the workers as well. The objective of this study was to review literature on the prevalence of pathogens in various types of cheese, raw milk and dairy environment, identify sources of contamination and present concisely prevention measures for farm and dairy plant.