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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 #160063
Title: THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CLEANING AND DISINFECTION OF LAIRAGE PENS AND THE PREVALENCE OF SALMONELLA ENTERICA IN SWINE AT HARVEST

Author
item SCHMIDT, P - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item O'CONNOR, A - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item MCKEAN, J - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item HURD, HOWARD

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/4/2004
Publication Date: 7/20/2004
Citation: Schmidt, P.L., O'Connor, A.M., McKean, J.D., Hurd, H.S. 2004. The association between cleaning and disinfection of lairage pens and the prevalence of Salmonella enterica in swine at harvest. Journal of Food Protection. 67(7):1384-1388.

Interpretive Summary: A series of four field trials were conducted to evaluate the ability of a cleaning and disinfection procedure in swine lairage pens to reduce the prevalence of S. enterica in slaughtered pigs. A cleaning and disinfection procedure was applied to lairage pens at a large Midwest abattoir. Each trial consisted of a cleaned (alkaline chloride detergent) and disinfected (H2O2 + peracetic acid sanitizer) pen (treated) and a control pen, each holding 90-95 pigs for 2-3 hours before slaughter. Ileocecal lymph nodes, cecal contents, and rectal contents were collected from 45 pigs from each study pen at harvest and cultured for S. enterica. In all trials, cleaning and disinfection reduced the prevalence of S. enterica positive floor swabs in the treated pen (p < 0.05). However the post-harvest prevalence of S. enterica-positive pigs varied between trials. This will benefit swine producers, packing plants, and Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Technical Abstract: A series of four field trials were conducted to evaluate the ability of a cleaning and disinfection procedure in swine lairage pens to reduce the prevalence of S. enterica in slaughtered pigs. A cleaning and disinfection procedure was applied to lairage pens at a large Midwest abattoir. Each trial consisted of a cleaned (alkaline chloride detergent) and disinfected (H2O2 + peracetic acid sanitizer) pen (treated) and a control pen, each holding 90-95 pigs for 2-3 hours before slaughter. Ileocecal lymph nodes, cecal contents, and rectal contents were collected from 45 pigs from each study pen at harvest and cultured for S. enterica. In all trials, cleaning and disinfection reduced the prevalence of S. enterica-positive floor swabs in the treated pen (p < 0.05). However the post-harvest prevalence of S. enterica positive pigs varied between trials. In Trial 1 there was no significant difference in the prevalence of S. enterica in pigs between treatment and control groups. In trials 2 and 3, the prevalence of S. enterica was higher in pigs from treated pens vs. pigs from control group pens (91% vs. 40%, p < 0.0001 and 91% vs. 24% p < 0.0001 respectively). In Trial 4 the prevalence of S. enterica was lower in pigs from treated pens compared to pigs from control pens (5% vs. 42%, p < 0.0001). This study indicates that cleaning and disinfection effectively reduces the amount of culturable S. enterica in lairage pens, but the ability of cleaned and disinfected pens to reduce the prevalence of S. enterica in market-weight pigs remains inconclusive.