SALMONELLA INCIDENCE ACID DISTRIBUTION OF SEROTYPES THROUGHOUT PROCESSING IN A SPANISH POULTRY SLAUGHTERHOUSE

A survey of contamination with Salmonella spp. was done at 11 sampling sites in a poultry slaughter establishment in Spain for a total of 19 2 samples. Samples included fecal material, utensils, water, and poult ry carcasses and livers at several stages of processing. Salmonella in cidence rates increased from 30% in fecal material collected from inco ming birds to 60% in air-chilled carcasses and 80% in cold-stored live rs, indicating that cross-contamination occurred. The rate of Incidenc e of Salmonella organisms on carcasses averaged 56.7% through post-pic king to post-air chilling and re-ached a maximum of 70% on carcasses a t the post-spray wash site. Poultry livers were mom heavily contaminat ed with salmonellae, as 55% and 80% samples after evisceration and col d storage, respectively, were positive for those pathogenic bacteria. From a total of 112 strains isolated, 87 (77.6%) were S. enteritidis, 7 (6.2%) Salmonella serotype 4,5,12:b:-(II), and 6 (5.4%) Salmonella s erotype 4,12:b:-(II), and the remaining 12 strains were equally distri buted among S. typhimurium S. virchow, and S. blockley (3.6% each). Se rotypes isolated from feces were later detected in matched carcasses a nd livers indicating a cross-contamination of carcasses by endogenous microflora in bird feces. The incidence of Salmonella serotype 4,5,12: b:-(II) and that of S. typhimurium were significantly higher (P<0.05) in samples obtained prior to evisceration than in those collected afte r that particular step. The situation with S. enteritidis was quite th e reverse, since this serotype was more frequently detected in samples taken after the evisceration step (P < 0.01).