Animal Health and Welfare Impacts on Pork Safety

Determination of the Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in Three Colombian Pig Abattoirs

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Abstract

Salmonella spp. is one of the most important microorganisms in the pig industry, as well as in public health worldwide. This bacterium is responsible for causing salmonellosis, a foodborne disease, where pork is one of the main sources of infection. Pigs can be asymptomatic or symptomatic carriers of Salmonella spp. and can be infected from the farm and reach the abattoirs, where the carcasses can be contaminated; due to the complexity of the slaughter stages it is necessary to know how the pathogen behaves throughout this process, since the reports of the experts of the Committee for Safety Risk Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have established that the reduction of Salmonella spp. at this stage of the production chain decreases cases of human salmonellosis. In Colombia, prevalence of Salmonella spp. has been reported, between 11% and 16% in pig carcasses. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of Salmonella spp. in five stages of the pig slaughter process in three Colombian abattoirs.

How to Cite:

Barrientos, I., Carrascal, A. K., Pulido-Villamarín, A. M., Chamorro, I., Veloza, L. C., Rojas, F., Pérez, M., Hounmanou, Y. & Daalsgard, A., (2023) “Determination of the Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in Three Colombian Pig Abattoirs”, SafePork 14(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/safepork.16305