Different Roles of Wild Boars and Livestock in Salmonella Transmission to Humans in Italy

Salmonella in Wild Boar Meat: Prevalence and Risk Assessment in Central Italy (Umbria and Marche Region)

“…Several authors have reported the absence of Salmonella spp. on carcass surfaces [40][41][42][43][44] and meat [45][46][47], whereas other authors have reported a prevalence similar to those found in our survey, in nearby geographic areas of Italy (0.9% in carcass swabs from the Campania region; 1.1% in carcass swabs from the Emilia Romagna region [39]; from 2.0% to 6.0% in carcass swabs from the Emilia Romagna region [48]; 3.9% in muscles from the Lazio region [49]; and 4.55% in meat cuts from the Tuscany region [50]) or in other countries (1.4% in carcass swabs and 1.9% in meat samples from Serbia [51]; 1.2% in carcass swabs from Spain [52]; and 3.1% in carcass samples from Serbia [53]. Higher prevalence values have been reported for Salmonella spp.…”

“…The other serotypes detected have been reported in literature in wild boars, albeit with a different prevalence. Prevalence of S. Typhimurium ranged from 1.8% of isolates from fecal samples [33] to 29% of the isolates from lymph nodes, feces, and carcass sponges from wild boars [39]. A particular discussion should be made for S. Derby detected on carcasses and MVST detected in a fecal sample.…”

“…Sampling of lymph nodes will give information on the still-present Salmonella infection in the animal, with the risk that the pathogen is shed into the environment [34,35], but also on the possible spread of the microorganism during handling at the game-handling establishment (e.g., incision of tonsils or mandibular/ileocecal lymph nodes during evisceration could pose a risk of carcass contamination) [36]. In these samples, a high prevalence of Salmonella is generally detected, and this is likely to lead to overestimation of the real prevalence in the meat [33,[37][38][39].…”

“…This should be considered in epidemiological studies performed by sampling carcass swabs or meat cuts. Serotype analyses, as well as whole-gene sequencing, should therefore be considered, especially if outbreaks occur [39].…”