The Styrian Salmonella Monitoring Programme for Pork Production

Abstract

The Styrian Salmonella Monitoring Programme for pork production is based on a representative analysis of the current status, serological meat juice monitoring and bacteriological tests of carcass halves and parts and has been in operation since 1999. A total of 34 170 meat juice samples from 3417 finisher herds were tested using the meat juice SALMOTYPE-ELISA (Labor Diagnostik, Leipzig, Germany) in the period from 1999 to 2003. More than 95% of the samples investigated were below the negative cut-off of <20% based on the 5-year average. The mean extinction values for meat juice samples showed regional differences, which were visualized for epidemiological purposes using the VETGIS geographical information system (Department of Veterinary Administration, Graz, Austria). Salmonella spp. were detected in only 15 cases (0.13%) of a total of 11 330 bacteriologically tested wipe samples from meat-processing plants. The Salmonella isolates detected included four S. Typhimurium, two S. Enteritidis PT 4, five S. Infantis, one S. Bredeny, one S. Saintpaul, one S. Brenderup and one S. Livingstone isolates. The proportion of Salmonella-contaminated pork in the total population estimated from the annual sample showed a falling tendency. It decreased from 0.48% (CI: 0.23 < or = P < or = 0.85) in 1999 to 0.14% (CI: 0.07 < or = P < or = 0.24) in 2003. The contamination of Styrian pork with Salmonella is extremely low and thus poses a negligible risk of infection to consumers.

Immunization of Pigs To Prevent Disease in Humans: Construction and Protective Efficacy of a Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Live Negative-Marker Vaccine

“…In order to reduce the potential risk to consumers, it is crucial to minimize pathogen intake into the food chain. In the European Union, surveillance systems are required (regulation [EC] 2160/2003; http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003 /l_325/l_32520031212en00010015.pdf), and a number of countries are specifically monitoring the occurrence of Salmonella in the pork production chain (2,11,19,45,48). In pigs, Sal-monella monitoring is based on meat juice serology (26).…”