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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #296374
Title: Prevalence of Salmonella in retail broiler chicken meat carcasses in Columbia

Author
item DONADO-GODOY, PILAR - Corpoica
item CLAVIJO, VIVIANA - Corpoica
item LEON, MARIBEL - Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario
item TAFUR, MCALLISTER - Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario
item GONZALES, SEBASTIAN - Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario
item Hume, Michael
item ALALI, WALID - University Of Georgia
item WALLS, ISABEL - National Institute Of Food And Agriculture (NIFA)
item WONG, DANILO - World Health Organization (WHO) - Switzerland
item DOYLE, MICHAEL - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2012
Publication Date: 6/1/2012
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/57381
Citation: Donado-Godoy, P., Clavijo, V., Leon, M., Tafur, M., Gonzales, S., Hume, M.E., Alali, W.Q., Walls, I., Wong, D.M., Doyle, M.P. 2012. Prevalence of Salmonella in retail broiler chicken meat carcasses in Columbia. Journal of Food Protection. 75:1134-1138.

Interpretive Summary: The objective of this study was to determine Salmonella populations, types, and antibiotic-resistant profiles on retail raw poultry carcasses in Colombia. A total of 301 chicken carcasses were collected from six states (one city per state) in Colombia. A total of 378 Salmonella bacteria were typed and tested for antibiotic resistance. The average number of Salmonella per carcass and the percentage of carcasses contaminated were 20 and 37%, respectively. Frozen chicken had the lowest Salmonella levels compared to chicken stored at chilled or local air temperatures, chickens from wet markets had higher levels than those from supermarkets and independent markets, and chicken from independent production companies had lower levels than non-independent production companies. 31 Salmonella types were identified among the 378 collected. Of all the Salmonella collected, 35.2% were resistant to 1 - 5 antibiotics, 24.6% to 6 – 10, and 33.9% to 11 -15. These results can be used in developing risk assessment models for preventing the transmission of Salmonella from poultry to humans in Colombia. These results are of interest to Colombian and U.S. producers, researchers, and processors, especially in light of the recently established U.S.-Colombian trade agreement.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this study was to determine Salmonella populations, serovars, and antimicrobial-resistant phenotypes on retail raw poultry carcasses in Colombia. A total of 301 chicken carcasses were collected from six departments (one city per department) in Colombia. As recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture-Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) protocol, samples were analyzed for Salmonella populations using the most probable number (MPN) method. A total of 378 isolates were serotyped and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. The overall Salmonella population (mean log10 MPN/carcass ± 95% CI) and prevalence were 1.30 (1.18-1.36) and 37%, respectively. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) by Salmonella levels (populations, prevalence), storage temperature (frozen, chilled, ambient), retail store type (wet markets, supermarkets, independent markets), and poultry company (chicken produced by integrated or non-integrated company). Frozen chicken had the lowest Salmonella levels compared to chicken stored at other temperatures, chickens from wet markets had higher levels than those from other retail store types, and chicken produced by integrated companies had lower levels than non-integrated companies. 31 Salmonella serovars were identified among 378 isolates, with S. Paratyphi B tartrate-positive (i.e., S. Paratyphi B dT+) being the most prevalent (44.7%), followed by Heidelberg (19%), Enteritidis (17.7%), Typhimurium (5.3%), and Anatum (2.1%). Of all the Salmonella isolates, 35.2% were resistant to 1 - 5 antimicrobial agents, 24.6% to 6 – 10, and 33.9% to 11 -15. Among all the serovars obtained, S. Paratyphi B dT+ and S. Heidelberg were the most antimicrobial-resistant. Salmonella prevalence was determined to be high, whereas cell numbers were relatively low. These data can be used in developing risk assessment models for preventing the transmission of Salmonella from poultry to humans in Colombia.