To determine the extent of microbiological contamination of U.S. pork, 384 samples of retail pork were collected from 24 stores in six cities, including (i) whole-muscle, store-packaged pork; (ii) fresh, store-packaged ground pork and/or pork sausage; (iii) prepackaged ground pork and/or pork sausage; and (iv) whole-muscle, enhanced (injected or marinated; 60% store-packaged, 40% prepackaged) pork. Additional samples (n = 120) of freshly ground pork and/or pork sausage were collected from two hot-boning sow/boar sausage plants, two slaughter and fabrication plants, and two further-processing plants. Samples were analyzed for aerobic plate counts (APC), total coliform counts (TCC), Escherichia coli counts (ECC), and incidences of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Mean log APC and TCC were highest (P < 0.05) for store-ground pork, while whole-muscle, enhanced products and prepackaged ground products had the lowest (P < 0.05) APC. Mean log APC and TCC were higher (P < 0.05) in samples from the slaughter and fabrication plants than in samples from hot-boning and further processing plants. Mean log ECC were lower (P < 0.05) in samples from further-processing plants compared to slaughter and fabrication plants and hot-boning, sow and boar sausage plants. L. monocytogenes was detected in 26.7% of plant samples and 19.8% of retail samples and was present more frequently in ground products. Y. enterocolitica was detected most often in whole-muscle, store-packaged cuts (19.8%) and in store-ground product (11.5%). Salmonella spp. were found in 9.6% of retail samples and 5.8% of plant samples, while C. jejuni and C. coli were found in 1.3% of retail samples and 6.7% of plant samples. Pork products exposed to the most handling and processing appeared to be of the poorest microbiological quality. These results should be useful in risk assessments that are directed at the identification of actions that could enhance food safety.

Fresh produce has been repeatedly implicated as a vehicle in the transmission of foodborne gastroenteritis. In an effort to assess the risk factors involved in the contamination of fresh produce with pathogenic bacteria, a total of 1,257 samples were collected from cantaloupe, oranges, and parsley (both in the field and after processing) and from the environment (i.e., irrigation water, soil, equipment, etc.). Samples were collected twice per season from two production farms per commodity and analyzed for the presence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli. E. coli was detected on all types of commodities (cantaloupe, oranges, and parsley), in irrigation water, and on equipment surfaces. A total of 25 Salmonella isolates were found: 16 from irrigation water, 6 from packing shed equipment, and 3 from washed cantaloupes. Salmonella was not detected on oranges or parsley. Serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and repetitive element sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) assays were applied to all Salmonella isolates to evaluate the genetic diversity of the isolates and to determine relationships between sources of contamination. Using PFGE, Salmonella isolates obtained from irrigation water and equipment were determined to be different from cantaloupe isolates; however, DNA fingerprinting did not conclusively define relationships between contamination sources. All Salmonella isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method, and 20% (5 of 25) of the isolates had intermediate sensitivity to streptomycin. One Salmonella isolate from cantaloupe was resistant to streptomycin.

Lamb carcasses (n = 5,042) were sampled from six major lamb packing facilities in the United States over 3 days during each of two visits (fall or winter, October through February; spring, March through June) in order to develop a microbiological baseline for the incidence (presence or absence) of Salmonella spp. and for populations of Escherichia coli after 24 h of chilling following slaughter. Samples also were analyzed for aerobic plate counts (APC) and total coliform counts (TCC). Additionally, incidence (presence or absence) of Campylobacter jejuni/coli on lamb carcasses (n = 2,226) was, determined during the slaughtering process and in the cooler. All samples were obtained by sponge-sampling the muscle-adipose tissue surface of the flank, breast, and leg of lamb carcasses (100 cm2 per site; 300 cm2 total). Incidence of Salmonella spp. in samples collected from chilled carcasses was 1.5% for both seasons combined, with 1.9% and 1.2% of fall or winter and spring samples being positive, respectively. Mean (log CFU/cm2) APC, TCC, and E. coli counts (ECC) on chilled lamb carcasses across both seasons were 4.42, 1.18, and 0.70, respectively. APC were lower (P < 0.05) in samples collected in the spring versus fall or winter, while TCC were higher in samples collected in the spring. There was no difference (P > 0.05) between ECC from samples collected in the spring versus winter. Only 7 out of 2,226 total samples (0.3%) tested positive for C. jejuni/coli, across all sampling sites. These results should be useful to the lamb industry and regulatory authorities as new regulatory requirements for meat inspection become effective.

To study the effect of processing and storage parameters on the survival of Salmonella on fresh Italian parsley, parsley bunches were dipped for 3 or 15 min in suspensions that were preequilibrated to 5, 25, or 35ЊC and inoculated with Salmonella transformed to express enhanced green fluorescent protein. Loosely attached and/or associated, strongly attached and/or associated, and internalized and/or entrapped Salmonella cells were enumerated over 0, 1, and 7 days of storage at 25ЊC and over 0, 1, 7, 14, and 30 days of storage at 4ЊC using surface-plating procedures. Leaf sections obtained from samples after 0, 1, and 7 days of storage were examined using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Temperature of the dip suspension had little effect on the attachment and survival of Salmonella cells on parsley. Regardless of the temperature or duration of dip, Salmonella was internalized. Immersion for longer times resulted in higher numbers of attached and internalized cells. Microscopic observations supported these results and revealed Salmonella cells near the stomata and within cracks in the cuticle. Storage temperature had the greatest impact on the survival of Salmonella cells on parsley. When stored at 25ЊC, parsley had a shelf life of 7 days, and Salmonella populations significantly increased over the 7 days of storage. For parsley stored at 4ЊC, numbers of Salmonella cells decreased over days 0, 1, and 7. After 7 days of storage, there were no viable internalized Salmonella cells detected. Storage temperature represents an important control point for the safety of fresh parsley.Fresh produce is an important source of enteric pathogens in foodborne illness outbreaks. Fruits and vegetables, which are commonly consumed without any cooking treatment, may potentially harbor many foodborne pathogens (12,21). Ingestion of fresh parsley has been associated with Shigella sonnei and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infections (23). Salmonellosis outbreaks have been epidemiologically associated with the consumption of cantaloupes, watermelon, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, alfalfa sprouts, parsley, unpasteurized orange juice, and other raw salad vegetables (10,11,15,17,20). To assess the risk factors involved in the contamination of fresh produce with human pathogens, it is important to understand the microbial ecology of the various products and possible vectors during harvesting and processing that may contribute to product contamination.Cultivation, harvesting, and retail preparation of fruits and vegetables provide numerous opportunities for human and equipment contact (5, 18). Typical manual labor operations including picking, sorting, trimming, tying, bunching, and removal of visible soil in rinse water, all of which subject the product to extensive handling and exposure to a variety of microorganisms. Rinse water can be of questionable bacteriological quality (18). Reina et al. (28) found that recycled water developed Enterobacteriaceae populations of up to 10 6 CFU/g during a typical day's operation. Human pat...

Keen to work towards reducing the carbon footprint of your practice but not sure how to go about it? The Veterinary Carbon Calculator can help, says Ellie Duffy of Vet Sustain.