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PubMed1987

Calculation of the expected increases of coliform organisms, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium, in raw blended mutton tissue.

Samples of blended mutton tissue in small polyvinyl chloride sachets were incubated in water baths for different times and at varying temperatures. The temperature of each bath was recorded accurately throughout each experiment. Using equations previously derived for the lag and generation times of coliform organisms in blended mutton tissue, the expected increases of these bacteria were calculated from the time/temperature recordings. These were compared with the data obtained from plate counts made on the tissue samples in the sachets before and after incubation. The studies were done with a strain of Escherichia coli, one of Salmonella typhimurium and the coliform organisms naturally present on sheep carcasses processed in a commercial abattoir. The calculated growth agreed closely with that measured. Therefore, if mutton, after overnight chilling, is warmed again to temperatures within the growth range of these bacteria, the possible increases in the numbers of cells present can be calculated directly from time and temperature measurements. The implications for the present codes of practice in abattoirs are discussed.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1998

Experimental infection of ostriches with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus.

Following the occurrence of an outbreak of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) among workers at an ostrich abattoir in South Africa in 1996, 9 susceptible young ostriches were infected subcutaneously with the virus in order to study the nature of the infection which they undergo. The ostriches developed viraemia which was demonstrable on days 1-4 following infection, with a maximum intensity of 4.0 log10 mouse intracerebral LD50/ml being recorded on day 2 in 1 of the birds. Virus was detectable in visceral organs such as spleen, liver and kidney up to day 5 post-inoculation, 1 day after it could no longer be found in blood. No infective virus was detected in samples of muscle, but viral nucleic acid was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in muscle from a bird sacrificed on day 3 following infection. It was concluded that the occurrence of infection in ostriches at abattoirs could be prevented by keeping the birds free of ticks for 14 days before slaughter.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2002

Washing and chilling as critical control points in pork slaughter hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) systems.

AIMS: The aim of this research was to examine the effects of preslaughter washing, pre-evisceration washing, final carcass washing and chilling on final carcass quality and to evaluate these operations as possible critical control points (CCPs) within a pork slaughter hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study estimated bacterial numbers (total viable counts) and the incidence of Salmonella at three surface locations (ham, belly and neck) on 60 animals/carcasses processed through a small commercial pork abattoir (80 pigs d(-1)). Significant reductions (P < 0.05) in bacterial numbers were noted at some stages of the slaughter/dressing process, i.e. the process of hair removal (scalding-dehairing and singeing) resulted in an approx. 4.5 log10 cfu cm(-2) decrease in bacterial numbers. A significant increase (P < 0.05) in bacterial numbers was observed after pre-evisceration washing. Final washing increased the bacterial counts to between 3.6 and 3.8 log10 cfu cm(-2) while chilling effected a small but statistically significant (P < 0.05) increase to between 4.5 and 4.7 log10 cfu cm(-2). The incidence of Salmonella on pigs at the farm was 27%, decreasing to 10% after preslaughter washing. However, stunning and bleeding effected a considerable increase in Salmonella contamination and the incidence after these operations was 50%, which was reduced to 0% during the scalding-dehairing process. CONCLUSIONS: Washing the live animals and subsequent carcasses with cold water is not an effective control measure but chilling may be used as a CCP. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Recent changes in European Union legislation legally mandate HACCP in pork slaughter plants. This research will provide a sound scientific basis on which to develop and implement effective HACCP in pork abattoirs.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2001

Australia's campaign to eradicate bovine tuberculosis: the battle for freedom and beyond.

In 1970, voluntary State-based TB control programs in Australia were replaced by a coordinated national campaign to eliminate both brucellosis and tuberculosis from the cattle population. The campaign was funded and managed under tripartite agreement by State/Territory and Commonwealth governments and Industry. The tuberculosis component of the campaign relied on test and slaughter with surveillance for the disease in abattoirs and trace-back to property of origin an essential component. Because of the moderate sensitivity of the skin test ( approximately 70%), testing was repeated at prescribed intervals over a number of years. In the more hostile environment of northern Australia, novel strategies were developed to maximize musters and remove 'at risk' animals. Australia is fortunate it did not have a feral host for M. bovis (apart from buffalo, which were included in the campaign) to complicate eradication. A national granuloma submission program was implemented in 1992 to increase the intensity of abattoir monitoring. Selective or total depopulation was used in some herds to achieve the requirements of the national Standard Definitions and Rules of the Campaign and achieve the status of 'TB Free Area' in December 1997. Monitoring for tuberculosis has continued under the 5-year Tuberculosis Freedom Assurance Program and measures to further reduce the risk of new cases have been implemented.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1987

Chloramphenicol-resistant Salmonella newport traced through hamburger to dairy farms. A major persisting source of human salmonellosis in California.

Animal-to-human transmission of drug-resistant salmonella and the role of antimicrobial use in food animals in the emergence of these bacteria are controversial subjects. Investigation of a 4.9-fold increase in Salmonella newport isolations from Californians in 1985 showed that 87 percent of the isolates had an unusual antimicrobial-resistance pattern (including chloramphenicol resistance) and a single, identical plasmid. Interviews of 45 patients and 89 matched controls in Los Angeles County showed that illness was associated with penicillin or tetracycline use during the month before onset (P less than 0.001) and with eating ground beef during the week before onset (P = 0.052). The epidemic strain was isolated from hamburger products eaten by cases, abattoirs where the animals from which the meat came were slaughtered, dairies that sent cows for slaughter on days when culture-positive products were processed, and ill dairy cows. Isolation of salmonella from beef carcasses in abattoirs correlated with the proportion of dead or moribund animals received for slaughter (r = 0.60, P less than 0.05). Isolation of chloramphenicol-resistant salmonella from dairy farms was associated with the use of chloramphenicol at those dairies. We conclude that food animals are a major source of antimicrobial-resistant salmonella infections in humans and that these infections are associated with antimicrobial use on farms.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2006

The impact of extrinsic sources on selected indicator organisms in a typical deboning room.

Meat is a highly perishable product and the microbiological safety thereof is an extremely important issue for both the consumer and the meat industry. In this study, samples were randomly collected from various working surfaces, from raw meat and from the air in the deboning room of a high throughput red meat abattoir. The samples were analysed for the presence of total staphylococci counts as well as for total viable counts. The mean staphylococci counts from working surfaces were 19 CFU x cm(-2), and the staphylococci levels for the meat samples were well below the proposed maximum limit of 100 CFU x g(-1). Maximum staphylococcal bioaerosol counts of 10 CFU x m(-3) were also enumerated. Total viable counts from the workers' hands and working surfaces were high compared to the staphylococcal levels. Twelve staphylococci species were identified from the samples used in this study. Recontamination during the deboning process was identified as the major source of contamination, suggesting proper implementation of quality processing practices within the abattoir environment.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1975

Toxoplasma gondii and Coxiella burneti antibodies among Brazilian slaughterhouse employees.

Previous studies have indicated toxoplasmosis and Q fever are potential hazards to persons who handle raw meat or who work in slaughterhouses. The prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii and C. burneti was studied among 144 employees of an abattoir in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to determine what environmental factors may be associated with the occurrence of these agents among persons who handle meat but who have not reported having toxoplasmosis or Q fever. Seventy-two per cent of the 144 employees were serologically positive to T. gondii and 29% were serologically positive for C. burneti. The highest prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii (92%) occurred among meat inspectors, who also had a geometric mean titer (GMT) of 1400. The prevalence levels of antibodies to T. gondii for employees who handled meat in the deboning and sausage departments were 80% and 79% with GMT's of 412 and 340, respectively. These levels exceeded the antibody prevalences of 60% and 65% and GMT's of 168 and 120 for employees who worked with cattle in the corrals or who worked on the killing floor, respectively. Conversely, the prevalence of antibodies to C. burneti was highest (40%) among employees working in the corrals and who were exposed to dust and hides. A similar prevalence of antibodies to C. burneti was found in employees on the killing floor (36% positive) who were exposed to hides and viscera, but employees handling meat in the deboning or sausage section had prevalence levels of 20% and 14% respectively. Serologic testing of zebu cattle processed at the abattoir indicated that 10% of 124 tested had antibodies to T. gondii and 29% of 156 tested had antibodies to C. burneti. These levels in cattle are probably adequate to expose (and infect) persons who process meat daily. Continuous daily exposures to chronically infected cattle may result in sporadic undiagnosed illnesses or seroconversions from subclinical infections.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2001

Electrical stunning, hot boning, and quality of chicken breast meat.

The first experiment was conducted to determine the effects of varying voltage, 20, 40, 80, and 100 V at 60 Hz, on stunning efficiency, blood loss, and carcass defects. In the second experiment, the same parameters were evaluated to determine the effects of varying frequency, 60, 200, 350, 500, and 1,000 Hz at 40 V. A control group for both experiments was not stunned. At 40V, 30 to 50 mA, 90% of the birds were unconscious, as shown by no response to comb piercing, and blood loss was maximized (55.3%). When varying the stunning frequency, maximum blood loss (73.1%), 90% of the birds were unconscious, and minimum carcass defects were observed at 1,000 Hz, 40 V. In the third experiment, birds were stunned at 40 V, 1,000 Hz and deboned immediately after defeathering (hot boning) and chilled or deboned after passing through all stages of a commercial abattoir operation (conventional boning). Control lots were unstunned and followed normal abattoir stages. Average shear value was significantly lower for stunned compared to unstunned birds (6.0 vs. 7.1 kg/g), although tenderness scores, as measured by a trained panel, were not significantly different (6.6 for stunned birds vs. 6.1 for unstunned). Scores for juiciness were also not significantly different (5.5 for stunned vs. 5.8 for unstunned). Average shear value was also significantly lower for conventionally boned birds (5.2 kg/g) than for hot boned birds (7.9 kg/g). Sensory analysis confirmed the shear value results. Conventionally boned breasts had an average tenderness score of 7.4 vs. an average of 5.3 for hot boned breast. No statistical differences were observed with respect to juiciness, although a score of 6.2 was observed for conventionally boned breast meat vs. a score of 5.1 for hot boned breast meat.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1994

Cutaneous warts in butchers.

Several studies have indicated a high prevalence of hand warts in meat handlers, although the reasons for this are not clear. The high prevalence may be partly due to HPV7, a virus found almost exclusively in meat handlers, but the source of HPV7 is not known. We have carried out a cross-sectional survey of hand warts in male meat workers and controls from other occupational groups, to investigate the reasons for the high prevalence of warts, and particularly of HPV7, in butchers. We studied 240 abattoir workers, 246 retail and wholesale butchers, 308 engineering fitters and 292 office workers. Each subject was interviewed using a standard questionnaire, and his hands were examined by a dermatologist. Scrapings from the warts were tested for HPV1, HPV2 and HPV7 by a polymerase chain reaction method. The prevalence of hand warts was 33.3% in the abattoir workers, 34.1% in the butchers, 19.5% in the engineers and 14.7% in the office workers. Scrapings were taken from 247 of 267 subjects with warts, and HPV DNA was detected in 151 samples. The most common viruses were HPV2 (94 men) and HPV7 (76 men). The excess of warts in meat workers was largely due to HPV7, which was found in only two of the office workers, and was not found in any of the engineers. Logistic regression analysis showed no association between the prevalence of hand warts (or HPV2 and HPV7 specifically) and hand trauma, cold and wet working conditions, smoking, atopy, or handling any particular kind of meat. We suggest that some constituent of animal flesh predisposes to replication of HPV7 in keratinized epithelium.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2000

Food safety through the meat supply chain.

Food poisoning in humans can be caused by many different bacterial genera. While the incidence of food poisoning in England, Wales and Scotland from Salmonella has reached a plateau, there has been an increase in the incidence from Campylobacter. The incidence from Escherichia coli O157:H7 rose to 1997 but declined slightly in 1998 (data from the Public Health Laboratory Service and the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health). This organism has a high virulence in humans and a very low infective dose. Infection can produce a wide range of responses, including death. The low infective dose presents a major threat. The organism is relatively heat-sensitive and the cooking of food products to achieve a centre core temperature of 70 degrees C for 2 min is sufficient to destroy it. It is relatively acid-tolerant and will survive for several weeks at pH 4.2. Several foodstuffs, as well as water, have been implicated in world-wide outbreaks. The E. coli O157:H7 food-borne outbreak in Lanarkshire in 1996 led to 21 fatalities. The Pennington Group report, issued in April 1997, reported on the circumstances leading to this outbreak, the implications for food safety and the lessons to be learnt. Four areas covered within the Pennington Group report specific to meat hygiene are reviewed in this paper. On-farm practices must ensure the presentation of clean animals for slaughter. There is a requirement for the development and introduction of risk assessment techniques based upon Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points in abattoirs, and the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) is producing a manual for use by the abattoir sector. The Pennington report stated that there was a need for research into the potential use of end-process treatments such as steam pasteurization. The MLC is involved in evaluating such a system. Meat production premises and butchers' shops in England are introducing HACCP through an MLC scheme funded by the Department of Health. At the point of consumption, food safety is improved by the provision of practical guidelines regarding the handling of meat and meat products. These are distributed at retail outlets and communicated to secondary schools via MLC's educational publications.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1981

The isolation of antibiotic resistant coliforms from meat and sewage.

Beef and pig carcases, meat products, frozen chickens, and sewage were examined in 3 separate surveys for antibiotic resistant coliforms. Escherichia coli was isolated from 18 of 50 beef carcases; the numbers were low and resistance was found only to tetracycline. E. coli was isolated from 45 to 50 pig carcases; the numbers were high and showed a range of patterns of multiple antibiotic resistance. In meat products, the proportion of E. coli in contaminating organisms was low, and most resistance found was to tetracycline and streptomycin. E. coli was isolated from 66 of 75 chickens and these gave 23 patterns of antibiotic resistance, often multiple. Sewage from hospital or domestic origin and abattoir effluent yielded approximately 10(6) coliforms/ml, most of which were resistant to one or more antibiotics; few of those from hospital or domestic origin however, were classified as E. coli of faecal origin. Twenty-four patterns of resistance were found in coliforms from domestic sewage, 19 from hospital sewage and 11 from abattoir effluent. Transfer of resistance, often multiple, was achieved from 55% of 447 resistant strains to an E. coli K12 recipient. Much more information is required on the prevalence of R-factors in bacteria associated with food producing animals and their products.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1987

Monitoring of dairy herds for Brucella abortus infection when prevalence is low.

A total of 2,698 dairy herds were surveyed in 1981-1982 in New South Wales and north eastern Victoria in a review of the methods used to monitor them for the presence of Brucella abortus. The methods used to monitor dairy herds were testing of all breeding cows over 1 year of age using the rose bengal test (RBT) and complement fixation test (CFT), the bulk milk ring test (BMRT), and testing of blood samples collected at abattoirs using the RBT and CFT. The surveyed herds had at least one whole herd test, and BMRT was done at regular intervals in the period of the survey. Of the 99 (3.7%) herds that reacted to the BMRT, 91 (3.4%) herds had false positive reactions and 8 (0.3%) herds were declared infected on follow-up herd testing. False-positive reactions were obtained in 22 herds on more than one occasion. Common causes of false positive reactions to the BMRT were thought to be previous vaccination with Strain 19 and sampling in very early or late lactation. Of the 98 (3.63%) herds that reacted to the whole herd serological tests, 80 (2.96%) herds had false-positive reactions and 18 (0.67%) herds were declared infected. Strain 19 vaccination was thought to be an important cause of false-positive reactions. Fifty-three (2.0%) herds showed suspicious reactions on abattoir monitoring but none was declared infected on follow-up testing. Of the 18 herds with infected or equivocal status, the BMRT identified?(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2002

The estimated prevalence of Johne's disease infected sheep flocks in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the likely geographical distribution and flock-prevalence of ovine Johne's disease (OJD) in Australia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was used. PROCEDURE: The results of abattoir surveillance for OJD carried out during 2000 were analysed to estimate the prevalence of infected flocks in three regions of New South Wales and in other States. A Bayesian approach was used to adjust apparent prevalence estimates for the assumed flock-sensitivity and flock-specificity of abattoir surveillance, and to allow for uncertainty about the true values of these measures. RESULTS: The 95% probability limits for flock-prevalence at 31 December 2000 were 0.04%-1.5%, 8%-15% and 29%-39% for low, moderate and high prevalence regions of New South Wales respectively. The other States generally had an upper 97.5% probability limit of about 1% or less. Based on these estimates about 6 to 10% of flocks in New South Wales and 2.4 to 4.4% of flocks Australia-wide are likely to be infected. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that OJD has a highly clustered distribution in Australia, and provides estimates of the prevalence of infected flocks by State or region. Based on this analysis there were probably between 2000 and 3700 infected flocks in Australia at 31 December 2000, with more than 80% of these in a relatively small geographic area of central and southern New South Wales. Some States, such as Queensland and Western Australia, may have a prevalence equal or close to 0%, however the technique used was unable to demonstrate the absence of infection in these States with the intensity of surveillance undertaken to date.

Abattoirs↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of organoleptic postmortem inspection techniques for bovine offal.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate organoleptic postmortem inspection techniques for bovine livers and kidneys. STUDY DESIGN: At Australian export abattoirs, bovine liver and kidneys are assessed and graded by qualified meat inspectors during normal operations. Over a 12-month period at a large abattoir in eastern Australia during 1997 and 1998, a sample of these organs was reassessed independently using a range of pathological and microbiological methods. Agreement between routine inspection and independent assessment was evaluated using methods of inter-rater agreement. RESULTS: A total of 944 livers and 1374 kidneys were included in the study. All of these organs had been classified during routine inspection. The authors examined 363 livers and 329 kidneys both grossly and histologically, including 36 livers and 14 kidneys that were also subjected to microbiological examination. All other organs were only examined grossly. There was only a moderate level of agreement between the routine and independent assessment methods. For livers, the percentage agreement was 80.2%, McNemar's test of symmetry 55.2 (3 degrees of freedom, P < 0.001) and kappa 0.63. For kidneys, the percentage agreement was 67.8%, McNemar's test of symmetry 9.9 (1 df, P = 0.002) and kappa 0.35. CONCLUSIONS: The results reinforce concerns from a number of authors about organoleptic postmortem inspection. Risk assessment methodologies offer the opportunity to modify inspection techniques in a manner that is most relevant to current public health concerns.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2003

Survey for hydatidosis in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory of Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hydatidosis occurs in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory. DESIGN: A survey utilising two stage sampling was designed to provide 95% confidence of detecting hydatids in cattle with a herd prevalence of 10% and animal prevalence of 10%. PROCEDURE: For a 1 year abattoir killing season, lesions from the liver and/or lung were collected from 4348 cattle being slaughtered at a Northern Territory abattoir and examined for hydatid cysts. The origin of cattle was established through identification of the brand. RESULTS: Sample sizes of 41 or more Northern Territory bred cattle were achieved for each of 29 properties. No hydatid cysts were found in cattle bred in the northern region of the Northern Territory. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that a cycle of hydatid transmission does not occur in the northern region of the Northern Territory.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1987

Does prolonged exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase the rate of antibiotic-resistant infection?

The magnitude of the risk of acquiring infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, as a consequence of prolonged contact with such bacteria, is unclear. We compared antibiotic resistance patterns of Escherichia coli isolated from the urine of bacteriuric female abattoir workers with resistance patterns of E. coli cultured from 190 poultry taken from the processing line. We found E. coli in 181 (95%) of the poultry cultures; 96% of the isolates were resistant to one or more antibiotics, and 87% were multiply resistant. Of the 649 women whose urine was cultured and who had not recently received antibiotic therapy, 69 (10.6%) had positive urine cultures, with E. coli accounting for 67% of the isolates. Of the 46 E. coli isolates, 8 (17.4%) were resistant to one or more antibiotics. All of the antibiograms of the urinary isolates were unique, and only one, a strain with resistance only to streptomycin, matched those of any of the poultry isolates. Of the women tested for bacteriuria, 74 had taken antibiotics within 3 months of culture, and these women were analyzed separately. Among the recent antibiotic users, six (8.1%) had positive urine cultures, all with E. coli. Four of these isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic; all had patterns that matched at least one of the poultry isolates. Therefore, in a population of female abattoir workers who were not receiving antibiotic therapy, despite a high exposure to resistant microorganisms of animal origin, infections were infrequently caused by organisms with resistance patterns characteristic of the livestock to which the women were heavily exposed.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1999

Amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting of Pseudomonas strains from a poultry processing plant.

Molecular typing has been used previously to identify and trace dissemination of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria associated with food processing. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) is a novel DNA fingerprinting technique which is considered highly reproducible and has high discriminatory power. This technique was used to fingerprint 88 Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas putida strains that were previously isolated from plate counts of carcasses at six processing stages and various equipment surfaces and environmental sources of a poultry abattoir. Clustering of the AFLP patterns revealed a high level of diversity among the strains. Six clusters (clusters I through VI) were delineated at an arbitrary Dice coefficient level of 0.65; clusters III (31 strains) and IV (28 strains) were the largest clusters. More than one-half (52.3%) of the strains obtained from carcass samples, which may have represented the resident carcass population, grouped together in cluster III. By contrast, 43.2% of the strains from most of the equipment surfaces and environmental sources grouped together in cluster IV. In most cases, the clusters in which carcass strains from processing stages grouped corresponded to the clusters in which strains from the associated equipment surfaces and/or environmental sources were found. This provided evidence that there was cross-contamination between carcasses and the abattoir environment at the DNA level. The AFLP data also showed that strains were being disseminated from the beginning to the end of the poultry processing operation, since many strains associated with carcasses at the packaging stage were members of the same clusters as strains obtained from carcasses after the defeathering stage.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed1973

Isolation of salmonellae from pork carcasses.

Four hundred and twenty pork carcasses from four abattoirs were examined for the presence of salmonellae by use of swabbing-enrichment techniques and contact plate methods. Carcasses from only one abattoir were found to be contaminated by swabbing-enrichment (23.3%) and contact plate (17.9%) methods. The area of the skin side of the ham, near the anal opening, was determined to be the area to examine for isolating salmonellae from pork carcasses with the greatest frequency. The most frequently isolated species of salmonellae in this study were Salmonella derby, S. anatum, S. typhimurium, and S. indiana.

Abattoirs↗