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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Food and Feed Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #95078
Title: PREVALENCE OF CAMPYLOBACTER, SALMONELLA, AND ARCOBACTER SPECIES AT SLAUGHTER IN MARKET AGE PIGS

Author
item Harvey, Roger
item ANDERSON, ROBIN - MS BIOSCIENCES
item Young, Colin
item HUME, MICHAEL
item GENOVESE, KENNETH - TEXAS A&M UNIV
item ZIPRIN, RICHARD
item FARRINGTON, LEIGH - TEXAS A&M UNIV
item NISBET, DAVID

Submitted to: Rushmore Conference on Mechanisms in Pathogenesis of Enteric Diseases
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/2/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A survey was conducted to establish the prevalence of various enteric organisms in market-age pigs from a commercial swine operation in Texas. The experimental design called for 4 representative farms (farrow-to- finish) to be sampled 3 times each over a nine-month period. Samples of ileocolic lymph nodes and cecal contents were collected at slaughter from 50 pigs per sampling period (for a total of 595 pigs sampled). Enteric bacteria were cultured and identified by utilization of enrichment broths, restrictive media, biochemical analyses, antibody agglutination, differential stains, microscopic examination, and ELISA techniques. The prevalence rate for Campylobacter was 92% (range of 70-100%) with 60% C. coli and 31% C. jejuni. C. lari was isolated from 2 pigs. The mean prevalence rate for salmonellae was 61% (range of 11-88%) with 30+ serovars of Salmonella identified. Ten serovars accounted for 87% of isolates and 5 serovars accounted for 68% of all isolates. Fifty-one pigs had more than one serovar isolated. Approximately one-half the farms were sampled for Arcobacter and the mean prevalence rate was 5% (range of 0- 20%). Replacement gilts and 9-14 day old piglets were sampled and the results suggest that Campylobacter and Salmonella colonization occurred at an early age. Our findings indicate that farms from this commercial operation are heavily contaminated with Campylobacter and Salmonella, that the isolation rates of C. jejuni in pigs were higher than predicted, and that there was a low prevalence of Arcobacter. We intend to explore various intervention strategies to try to reduce the levels of these organisms.