Com o objetivo de verificar o papel da água utilizada durante a produção do leite como via de transmissão de Staphylococcus sp., fez-se a contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase negativa e Staphylococcus aureus nas amostras de água das fontes, dos reservatórios e dos estábulos de 30 propriedades leiteiras situadas na região Nordeste do Estado de São Paulo. As maiores ocorrências de isolamentos (10,0 e 16,6%) e os maiores valores médios (4,3×10(4) e 2,5×10(4)) de contagens desses microrganismos foram encontrados nas amostras de água dos estábulos utilizada na obtenção de leite. Estes resultados são importantes pois evidenciam a possibilidade de contaminação do leite ou dos animais por cepas patogênicas. | With the objective to verify the role of the water in the transmission of Staphylococcus sp., the counting of coagulase negative staphylococci, and Staphylococcus aureus in the water samples of the sources, reservoirs, and stables of 30 dairy farms, located in the Northeast region of the State of São Paulo was carried out. The major occurrence of coagulase negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, 10.0%, and 16.6%, were found in the water used for milking, with the major average of counting of 4.3×10(4) and 2.5×10(4). The results show the risk of water as a vehicle for transmission of mastitis, and the possibility of milk contamination by strains responsible for foodborne diseases.

The objective of this study was to determine the water quality evolution in dairy farms of the Province of La Pampa, Argentina. The hypothesis that mega-dairy farms, because of their high animal population (400-700 cows), could cause water salinisation, due to an excessive use of ground water, and ground water contamination, as a result of accumulation of waste, was posed. We decided to compare then with medium dairy farms (lOO to 250 cows) to evaluate the impact of both models on water quality. We worked with 8 dairy farms in each category. During 3 consecutive years, samples of water were obtained every 6 months. Chemical (pR, total Salinity, Rardness, Sulfates, Chloride, Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammoniac, Calcium, Magnesium, Fluorine and Arsenium) and bacteriological analyses were performed in each sample. A statistically significant increase of the water Total Salinity could not be demonstrated in neither of the two groups. Rowever, in a few dairy farms, evidence of salinisation was found. A number of coliform bacteria above the tolerated values for human consumption, and belonging to a certain percentage of samples, was found within the first sampling. After corrective procedures were carried out, the results were negative in the sucessive samplings, without evidence of fecal contamination. In both groups, an important percentage of samples with Total Salinity, Sulfates, Fluorine and Arsenium levels above the advisable limits for dairy cattle was found. | El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la evolución de la calidad del agua en establecimientos de la cuenca lechera de La Pampa. Se planteó la hipótesis de que los megatambos, debido a su alto número de animales (400 a 700 vacas), podrían causar una salinización del agua de bebida, por un uso excesivo de las napas, y la contaminación de las mismas, por la gran acumulación de efluentes. Se decidió compararlos con tambos medianos (lOO a 250 vacas) para evaluar el impacto de ambos modelos sobre la calidad del agua. Se trabajó con un total de 8 tambos en cada categoría. Las muestras de agua se obtuvieron semestralmente, durante 3 años consecutivos, y sobre ellas se realizaron análisis químicos (pR, Sales Totales, Dureza, Sulfatos, Cloruros, Nitratos, Nitritos, Amoníaco, Calcio, Magnesio, Flúor y Arsénico) y bacteriológicos. No pudo demostrarse, en ninguno de los dos grupos, un incremento estadísticamente significativo de la salinidad total del agua durante el período de estudio, aún cuando en algunos megatambos hubo evidencias de este proceso. En el primer muestreo se encontró, en un cierto porcentaje de muestras, un número de bacterias coliformes por encima de los valores permitidos para consumo humano. Al implementarse medidas correctivas, en los sucesivos muestreos los resultados fueron negativos, sin evidencias de contaminación fecal. En ambos grupos, se halló un porcentaje importante de muestras con tenores de Sales Totales, Sulfatos, Flúor y Arsénico por encima de los límites recomendados para bovinos lecheros