Aa. Adesiyun et C. Krishnan, OCCURRENCE OF YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA O 3, LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES O/4AND THERMOPHILIC CAMPYLOBACTER SPP IN SLAUGHTER PIGS AND CARCASSES INTRINIDAD/, Food microbiology, 12(2), 1995, pp. 99-107
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.