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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 #141073
Title: THE DIRECT EFFECT OF HOLDING PENS ON SALMONELLA ISOLATION RATES FROM MARKET SWINE

Author
item HURD, HOWARD
item MCKEAN, J - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item GAILEY, JARED
item GRIFFITH, R - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item O'CONNOR, A - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/12/2002
Publication Date: 11/12/2002
Citation: HURD, H.S., MCKEAN, J.D., GAILEY, J.K., GRIFFITH, R.W., O'CONNOR, A.C. THE DIRECT EFFECT OF HOLDING PENS ON SALMONELLA ISOLATION RATES FROM MARKET SWINE. CONFERENCE OF RESEARCH WORKERS IN ANIMAL DISEASES. 2002. ABSTRACT P. 81.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the U.S., market swine spend two to six hours resting in holding pens after transport to the abattoir, to improve meat quality. However, research is beginning to suggest that these holding pens may be a significant risk for Salmonella infection, just prior to slaughter. The objective of this study was to directly compare Salmonella isolation rates from pigs slaughtered immediately to those from pigs slaughtered after ~ 4 h holding. Four truckloads of market swine (~ 120 kg) from a fully integrated farrow-to-slaughter operation were chosen. For each load, all pigs (n = 170) originated from the same building. At the time of unloading, small (15-30) groups of pigs were randomly sorted to one of three "treatments," immediate kill (15-30 min) or ~ 2 h holding on solid or slatted concrete floors. A total of 120 pigs were evaluated for each of the three "treatments." After evisceration, samples (10 g feces, 10 g cecal contents, ileocecal lymph nodes), were collected for Salmonella culture. There was significantly (p < 0.05) fewer pigs Salmonella positive among those killed immediately. However, the level was higher than expected, possibly due to a high on-farm infection rate.