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The study of the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the pig and pork production chain is important to reduce the risk of spreading this pathogen into the human population. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in pigs and pork products from Córdoba. Mesenteric lymph nodes samples from 580 finishing pigs from different pig farms , and 420 samples (83 batches) of fresh pork products (the so-called "chorizo fresco de cerdo") from different retailers were analyzed. ISO 6579:2002 standard protocol was used for Salmonella isolation. Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in finishing pigs in Córdoba was 41.5% (95%CI 37.6%-45.6%). According to pig´s origin the province was split in North, Central and South region. The prevalence observed in each region was 49.5%, 43.0% and 36.0% respectively. The significantly higher prevalence observed in the North may be associated with the precarious conditions of the pig production sector in that area, compared to the better pig producing practices in the southern region. Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in fresh pork products was 17.4% (95%CI 15.8%-23.4%). Based on the Argentine Food Codex criteria, 34/83 (40.9%) of the analyzed batches should be rejected given the presence Salmonella spp. positive. In addition, total coliforms were also analyzed on these pork samples following national legislation and 42 (63.0%) of the batches should have been rejected according to coliform total count. Overall, only 13% of the batches fulfilled both criteria for acceptance. In conclusion, the high prevalence of Salmonella spp. in pig farms and of Salmonella spp. and coliforms in these type of pork products suggested important safety breakdowns along the pig production and pork elaboration processes. An important effort should be done to reach suitable hygienic and sanitary standards for pig and pork production in the province of Córdoba.

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Salmonella is considered a major pathogen in Public Health. Córdoba is an important region for the production of pork. In this study we estimated the prevalence and risk factors associated with Salmonella at different stages of pig production chain (farms, slaughterhouses and pork sausages industries). The observed prevalence of farms in this study was higher than reported by EU. The main Risk Factors could be linked to the lack of good manufacturing practices in the whole pork chain in the region.