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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 #153312
Title: EFFECT OF TRANSPORT AND HOLDING ON SALMONELLA PREVALENCE IN MARKET WEIGHT TURKEYS

Author
item Hurd, Howard
item TRAMPEL, D - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Wesley, Irene
item REGEN, P - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Muraoka, Wayne
item RIVERA, F - UNIV OF ZUILA, VENEZUELA
item Harbaugh, Ellen

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2003
Publication Date: 11/9/2003
Citation: HURD, H.S., TRAMPEL, D.W., WESLEY, I.V., REGEN, P.S., MURAOKA, W.T., RIVERA, F., HARBAUGH, E. EFFECT OF TRANSPORT AND HOLDING ON SALMONELLA PREVALENCE IN MARKET WEIGHT TURKEYS. CONFERENCE OF RESEARCH WORKERS IN ANIMAL DISEASES. 2003. ABSTRACT P. 72.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective was to determine if the Salmonella prevalence in market turkeys increases in the final hours preceding slaughter, as has been shown in swine. By determining prevalence of Salmonella at different points in the final pre-harvest phase of turkey production (loading, transport, holding, harvest), critical control points may be identified to reduce the Salmonella risk from turkey products. Samples were collected from six Midwestern turkey flocks at the time of marketing (June-August 2003). Environmental swabs (4X4 gauze moistened in buffered peptone water) were collected, pre-load, from the houses (litter and walls) and cooling sheds at the abattoir (fans and support beams). Fresh fecal droppings were collected post-load/pre-transport from cage floors on transport trucks and post-transport/post-holding from the same trucks. Post-harvest, spleen, crop, ceca, pre-chill and post-chill carcass swab were collected from 50 randomly selected birds from these same trucks. All samples were cultured for isolation of Salmonella with two pre-enrichments (tetrathionate and buffered peptone water) and double Rappaport-Vasssiliadis enrichments. Preliminary results (3 trials) found Salmonella at each point of sampling. Environments were contaminated in all barns (~15% of 75 swabs), as were the fans and support beams in cooling sheds (~15% of 67). About the same proportion of crops were positive (~16% of 149), but slightly fewer ceca (8.7%) and spleens (~2.7%). The cage floors in transport trucks were also positive pre-transport (~32% of 299 cages) and post-holding (~19.6% of 286). Most (64% of 100) pre-chill carcasses were positive. Post-chill carcass swabs were negative in the first three trials, but were collected at the beginning of the work day (clean-fresh water with 20-50 ppm chlorine used). Preliminary analysis suggest a ubiquitous presence of Salmonella at a fairly constant level throughout the loading, transport and holding processes.