REDUCTION OF YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA AND LISTERIA SPP ON PIG CARCASSES BY ENCLOSURE OF THE RECTUM DURING SLAUGHTER

By sealing off the rectum with a plastic bag immediately after it had been freed, the spread of Y. enterocolitica O:3/biovar 4 to pig carcas ses could be considerably reduced. The organism was recovered from onl y 0.8% of carcasses when the plastic bag technique was employed. Y. en terocolitica O:3/biovar 4 was recovered from 10% of pig carcasses when eviscerating procedures did not include the use of the plastic bag te chnique. There was thus an obvious risk of the bacteria further contam inating meat cuts and other meat products. The plastic bag technique w as effective both in connection with manual excision of the rectum/low throughput (90 per h), and mechanical freeing of the rectum/high slau ghter rate (240 per h). L. monocytogenes was not detected in any of th e samples taken from 120 pig carcasses in Norway or from 120 pig carca sses in Sweden. The plastic bag technique was used on half of these pi gs. L. innocua was tested for in 120 pigs slaughtered in Sweden. The b acterium was recovered from 33% of the carcasses eviscerated without u sing a plastic bag, and from 10% of the carcasses in which this techni que was employed. The results suggested that there were other, non-fae cal, sources of contamination. Other measures in addition to the plast ic bag technique are therefore required to limit the spread of Listeri a spp. By incorporating the plastic bag technique into the slaughterin g procedures, the meat industry would contribute to preventing the dis semination of Y. enterocolitica and other pathogens which spread via t he faeces.