OCCURRENCE OF YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA O 3, LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES O/4AND THERMOPHILIC CAMPYLOBACTER SPP IN SLAUGHTER PIGS AND CARCASSES INTRINIDAD/

Pigs slaughtered at an abattoir in Trinidad were sampled for the occur rence of Yersinia, Listeria and Campylobacter at different sites. The antibiograms of Yersinia isolates were also determined. Of 141 samples each of rectal and tongue swabs taken, 23(16.1%) and 9(6.4%) were pos itive for Y. enterocolitica compared to 11(7.3%) of 150 tonsillar samp les yielding the organism. Rectal swabs had a statistically significan tly (P less-than-or-equal-to 0.05, chi2) higher frequency of isolation than tongue or tonsillar swabs. All 43 isolates of Y. enterocolitica were serotype O:3 biotype 4. From a total of 139 rectal swabs cultured for thermophilic Campylobacter, 75(51.8%) were C. coli and 3(2.2%) we re positive for C. jejuni. The difference was statistically significan t (P less-than-or-equal-to 0.001; chi2). Carcass swabs also yielded si gnificantly more C. coli, 27(17.4%) than C. jejuni, 4(2.6%) of 155 sam ples cultured. Seven (5.0%) of 139 rectal swabs tested were positive f or Listeria monocytogenes while only 3(1.9%) of 155 carcass samples yi elded the organism but the difference was not statistically significan tly (P greater-than-or-equal-to 0.05; chi2). Nine of 10 isolates of Y. monocytogenes were serotype 4 while one was serotype 1. Resistance of the 43 isolates of Y. enterocolitica was highest to pencillin (100.0% ), neomycin (100.0%) but least to gentamycin (2.3%) and sulfamethoxazo le/trimethoprim (0.0%). It was concluded that Y. enterocolitica seroty pe O:3, biotype 4 is predominant in pigs in Trinidad and the isolation of L. monocytogenes, particularly serotype 4, and C. coli and C. jeju ni from pork carcasses may pose a health risk to consumers.