A risk assessment model for Salmonella spp. in swine carcasses

Abstract

Salmonellosis is one of the most important food‐borne outbreaks that occurs in the EU/EEA. From the first production stages at slaughter, meat is susceptible to spoilage and can be a substrate for the pathogenic microorganisms growth. Among the pathogens, the presence of Salmonella is mainly due to mishandling during the evisceration stage. For the year 2019, according to the collected data from MSs, on the 17.9% of all food‐borne outbursts, the presence Salmonella was confirmed. Pork meat is considered as one of the four most commonly reported foods in cases of salmonellosis. For the training purposes of this project, Salmonella isolation and identification along with RA for carcass contamination, was performed. Pig carcasses were sampled using the non‐destructive technique. The sampling took place post dressing and before the stage of chilling. For the Salmonella detection, a three phases process was performed (pre‐enrichment, enrichment, isolation). A total of 757 samples were collected, 19 were found to be positive for Salmonella . The most common was found to be Salmonella Derby, which was identified eight times. The main objective of the project was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in swine carcasses. Moreover, certain parameters were evaluated in terms of their influence on the prevalence of Salmonella . A stochastic simulation model was developed in Microsoft Office Excel 2019 by using the add‐in @Risk v.8.1. The prevalence was estimated to be 2.6%. For the pigs sampled, the average value of the distance from farm to slaughterhouse was 200.92 km. Additionally, the average weight of the carcasses was 127.97 kg. The prevalence of Salmonella between the samples that came from farms with a distance above the average, was higher by 1.7 units, while the prevalence for the samples with weight above the average was higher by 0.2 units. According to the stochastic model, it is specified that the prevalence is higher with greater distance, and there is an 8.1% probability the prevalence will exceed the legislation’s – hygiene criteria. In addition, the prevalence of Salmonella was shown to increase, as well in the case of samples from weightier animals, but to a lesser extent.

Occurrence and distribution of Salmonella serovars in carcasses and foods in southern Italy: Eleven-year monitoring (2011–2021)

“…Typhimurium, S. Derby, and S. Rissen in carcasses. The predominance of these latter serovars in the pig production chain in Italy has already been reported by several authors ( Bonardi et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Pala et al, 2019 ; Piras et al, 2019 ; Chalias et al, 2022 ). S. Derby is known to be associated with pigs and in recent years, it has been increasingly isolated in human cases in Europe [ EFSA and ECDC (European Food Safety Authority and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), 2021 ].…”

“…As concerns pork sources, in the present study, the most reported serovars were S. Typhimurium and S. Derby in meat and meat products and monophasic S. Typhimurium, S. Derby, and S. Rissen in carcasses. The predominance of these latter serovars in the pig production chain in Italy has already been reported by several authors (Bonardi et al, 2016(Bonardi et al, , 2017Pala et al, 2019;Piras et al, 2019;Chalias et al, 2022). S. Derby is known to be associated with pigs and in recent years, it has been increasingly isolated in human cases in Europe human waste during processing and/or production chain preparation (Ferrari et al, 2019).…”

Salmonella assessment along the Spanish food chain: Likelihood of Salmonella occurrence in poultry and pig products is maintained across the food chain stages

“…The role of pork meat in Salmonella occurrence is expected, as pork and pork products are considered one of the most common products contaminated by this bacterium in the EU and among the main sources of human salmonellosis. In fact, its prevalence in pork and pork products is growing (Chalias et al, 2022; Pires et al, 2011). Of note, during 2017, 2018 and 2019, the percentages of positive samples in pork carcasses reported by food companies were generally lower than those determined in the inspections of the competent national authorities (Chalias et al, 2022).…”

“…In fact, its prevalence in pork and pork products is growing (Chalias et al, 2022; Pires et al, 2011). Of note, during 2017, 2018 and 2019, the percentages of positive samples in pork carcasses reported by food companies were generally lower than those determined in the inspections of the competent national authorities (Chalias et al, 2022). Spain is one of the seven largest producers of poultry meat in the EU (in this period including the United Kingdom) (EFSA BIOHAZ Panel, 2019) and the largest producer of pork in the region (Eurostat, 2022).…”

Occurrence and distribution of <i>Salmonella</i> serovars associated with human infection isolated from irrigation waters and food-producing animals in southern Italy: eleven-year monitoring (2011-2021)

“…In swine, the most detected serovars were S. Typhimurium, monophasic S. Typhimurium, and S. Rissen. These serovars are frequently detected in the pig production chain in Italy (Bonardi et al ., 2016 ; Chalias et al ., 2022 ; Peruzy et al ., 2022 ). Pigs are asymptomatic carrier disseminators of this pathogen throughout the production chain (Ferrari et al ., 2019 ).…”