Hazard analysis of Escherichia coli O157 : H7 contamination during beef slaughtering in Calvados, France

To identify hazard points and critical points during beef slaughtering, whi ch is a necessary first step toward developing a hazard analysis and critic al control point system to control meat contamination by Escherichia coli O 157:H7, samples (n = 192) from surfaces, work tops, worker's hands, and bee f carcasses were collected from a slaughterhouse in Calvados, France. Five strains of E. coli O157:H7 were isolated from a footbridge and a worker's a pron at the preevisceration post and from a worker's hand at the defatting post. Three isolates carried stx2c, eae, and EHEC-hlyA genes and showed sim ilar molecular types by random amplified polymorphic DNA. polymerase chain reaction IS3. and XbaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Thus, this study h as shown that preevisceration and defatting post and associated worker's ma terials are critical points for carcasses contamination by E. coli O157:H7 during beef slaughtering.