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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 #139418
Title: THE PREVALENCE OF L. MONOCYTOGENES IN CULL SOWS

Author
item Wesley, Irene
item LARSEN, S
item Hurd, Howard
item MCKEAN, J
item FRANA, T
item COX, M
item JOHNSON, M
item NANNAPANENI, R
item Hogness, Angelia
item RIVERA, F

Submitted to: Food Safety Consortium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/15/2002
Publication Date: 10/15/2002
Citation: WESLEY, I.V., LARSEN, S., HURD, H.S., MCKEAN, J., FRANA, T., COX, M., JOHNSON, M.G., NANNAPANENI, R., HOGNESS, A.L., RIVERA, F. THE PREVALENCE OF L. MONOCYTOGENES IN CULL SOWS. FOOD SAFETY CONSORTIUM PROCEEDINGS. 2002. P. 193-197.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The goal of this study was to determine if the cull sow presents a greater risk of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes than market-weight animals. Two trials were conducted at a single packing plant in 2001 (n = 179 cull sows) and in 2002 (n = 160 cull sows). Fecal samples collected antemortem (trial 1) as well as animal tissues, carcass and environmental swabs collected at the abattoir (trials 1 and 2) were analyzed. When results from both trials were combined, overall L. monocytogenes was detected in 0.45% of the total samples (n = 2,858). Specifically, L. monocytogenes was confirmed in a tonsil (0.55% of tonsils positive) and a carcass (0.56% of carcasses) prior to the organic acid rinse. L. monocytogenes was recovered in two pork chunk samples (1.21%). In a previous study of ~ 300 young market-weight hogs, we recovered L. monocytogenes from 2.5% of hog tissues (n = 1,849) as well as in ~ 50% of ground pork (n = 340 samples). These data indicate the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in the cull sow is lower than that of market-weight hogs. Thus the cull sow may not present any additional risk of introducing L. monocytogenes into the food chain.