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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #104855
Title: THE EFFECT OF LAIRAGE AND TRANSPORT ON INTESTINAL AND MEAT PREVALENCE OF SALMONELLA IN MARKET WEIGHT PIGS

Author
item Hurd, Howard
item MCKEAN, J - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Wesley, Irene
item KARRIKER, L - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the effects of lairage (in clean facilities) on fecal shedding, lymph node, and carcass prevalence of Salmonella, and 2) to measure the food safety risk of gut contamination from a typical, all-in all-out, total confinement swine finisher. On 10 occasions we tested 30 market-bound pigs weekly (300 pigs total) for the presence of Salmonella and other pathogens. After on-farm collection of blood, feces, and tonsil scrapings, one half of the group was immediately loaded and transported to lairage in clean, disinfected facilities. The remainder stayed in their respective pens. The following morning, both groups were delivered to a commercial slaughter facility. During the normal slaughter process, various samples were collected for culture of Salmonella and other pathogens. Distal colon contents yielded the highest Salmonella isolation rates. Preliminary results show a large difference in the prevalence of Salmonella as measured by on-farm fecal collections and in-plant colon contents, cecal contents, or ileocecal lymph nodes. The differences between lairaged and non-lairaged animals do not currently appear significant. Over 50% of animals were carrying Salmonella in the gut, however less than 3% of these animals posed a food safety risk as measured by contamination of the carcass surface, or lymph nodes that remain intact in the carcass (ventral thoracic, subileac).