The Incidence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia enterocolitica in Swine Carcasses and the Slaughterhouse Environment

Abstract

This study was done to evaluate the degree of contamination of cooler-ready hog carcasses and the slaughterhouse environment by Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica . Samples from diaphragms and feces were collected from 200 market hogs in a Quebec slaughterhouse. Scalding-tank water and environmental swabs were also collected in the slaughterhouse. Specimens were tested for the presence of Salmonella spp., Y. enterocolitica , and Campylobacter spp. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 45 (10%) of 448 samples. The distribution of the isolates were slaughtering floor (8.9%), feces (80.2%), cold-room floor (4.4%), and diaphragms (6.7%). Campylobacter spp. were isolated from 247 (61.7%) of 400 specimens, and C. coli , C. jejuni , and C. laridis accounted for 97%, 2%, and 1% of isolates, respectively. Ninety-nine percent of fecal samples were positive for the presence of C. coli . Y. enterocolitica was found in 42 (9.3%) of the 448 specimens. Of these, 85.7%, 11.9%, and 2.4% of the isolates came from fecal, diaphragm, and cold-room floor samples, respectively. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Y. enterocolitica were isolated from scalding-tank water.