Despite application of HACCP systems at slaughter and during processing, Salmonella contamination is still a significant biological hazard associated with pork products. A better understanding of slaughterhouse risk factors and contamination sources are therefore critical to improve control of this bacterium at slaughter level. The overall objective of this study was to identify the risk factors, at slaughter, associated with the presence of Salmonella in hog carcasses. We were also interested in the genetic characterization of the strains in order to assess the origin of contamination. A questionnaire on various potential risk factors was developed, Over 7400 hogs were tested. These hogs originated from 312 randomly selected production lots. The lots came from 8 different provinces and were tested at time of slaughter in 10 different abattoirs. The tests included serology and bacteriology cultures from mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and carcasses. Furthermore, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was conducted to establish genetic profiles of selected isolates from carcasses and MLN to compare their profiles to those recovered from the slaughter environment. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the cleanliness of the hogs and the status of the scald water were significant factors associated with the final bacteriological status of the carcasses. PFGE analysis showed that most isolates from carcasses were similar to those from animals (MLN) and/or pre-evisceration environment.
Background: Campylobacter jejuni is responsible for human foodborne enteritis. This bacterium is a remarkable colonizer of the chicken gut, with some strains outcompeting others for colonization. To better understand this phenomenon, the objective of this study was to extensively characterize the phenotypic performance of C. jejuni chicken strains and associate their gut colonizing ability with specific genes.
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