Tonsils of 829 fattening pigs originating from Belgium (n ¼ 201), Italy (n ¼ 428), and Spain (n ¼ 200) were collected between 2005 and 2007 to study the prevalence of enteropathogenic Yersinia in slaughter pigs. Isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was done by selective enrichment and by cold enrichment for 7 and 14 days. Pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis isolates were identified by polymerase chain reaction targeting the chromosomal genes ail and inv, respectively, as well as the plasmid-encoded virF of both species. A significantly higher ( p < 0.001) prevalence of ail-positive Y. enterocolitica in Spain (93%) than in Belgium (44%) or Italy (32%) was observed. virF-positive Y. enterocolitica was present in 77% of ail-positive samples. Bioserotype 4=O:3 was the most common type in all three countries. Bioserotypes 2=O:5 and 3=O:9 were found in Italy (1%) and Belgium (9%), respectively. The prevalence of inv-and virF-positive Y. pseudotuberculosis was 2% and 1% in Belgium and Italy, respectively. Y. pseudotuberculosis was not detected in pigs from Spain. Bioserotypes 1=O:1 (20%), 1=O:2 (20%), and 2=O:3 (60%) were found in Belgium, and 1=O:1 (60%) and 2=O:3 (20%) in Italy. The most efficient method for isolation of Y. enterocolitica was combined cold enrichment for 7 and 14 days; however, the isolation method for Y. pseudotuberculosis was cold enrichment for 14 days. Fattening pigs seem to be an important reservoir of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica in Belgium, Italy, and Spain. Bioserotype 4=O:3 of Y. enterocolitica and bioserotypes 2=O:3 and 1=O:1 of Y. pseudotuberculosis have been shown to predominate.

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The microbiological and physicochemical properties of a typical fermented meat product called Pitina, prepared using ground sheep meat mixed with a variable proportion of pork lard, were studied in order to firstly assess them and to evaluate the effect of two levels of lard pork content (10% vs. 30%, weight basis) and of two ripening conditions adopted by producers (traditional vs. modified atmosphere) on the quality of final products. Both, the level of lard and the ripening condition influenced the physicochemical values and then the chemical characteristics of the ripened product. Instead, the microbiological profile seemed not to be strongly affected by the studied conditions and all batches examined showed high count of enterobacteria, coliforms and gram negative bacteria at the end of the sixtyday maturation period

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