ABSTRACT
The tissues and organs of animals slaughtered under normal conditions may be affected by primary or secondary bacterial contamination. Endogenic contamination creates hazards for the consumer in cases where the animals for slaughter are subject to latent infection with pathogens which penetrate other organs and tissues as a result of bacteraemia. The bacteraemic propagation of microorganisms may have various reasons, and premortal stress is apparently a major contributing factor under normal conditions of slaughter. This problem deserves greater attention if hygienic meat is to be produced. Questions where there is a need for research relate to the numbers of animals for slaughter with latent infections, the role of premortal stress in causing endogenic contamination/asymptomatic bacteraemia, and the role of isolated organ changes in animals for slaughter in causing microbes to settle on organs and muscular tissue.
Subject(s)
Animals, Domestic/microbiology , Bacteremia/veterinary , Bacteria/growth & development , Food Microbiology , Meat/microbiology , Abattoirs , Animals , Bacteremia/microbiologyABSTRACT
The capability of bacteria to penetrate liver, spleen, and kidney samples was investigated, using one strain each of Salmonella typhimurium. Serratia marcescens, and Micrococcus luteus. The intact organ capsule was found to be an effective barrier to bacterial invasion, even at room temperature and with high contamination doses. Injuries to or absence of the organ capsule led to massive secondary germ colonisation of samples within 5 hours, even under conditions of cool storage. Germ colonisation of the sample interior will inevitably start from cut surfaces and cannot be prevented, if samples have to be stored several hours or transported, since sterile sampling is not possible under slaughterhouse conditions. Hence, new approaches have to be found to bacteriological carcass inspection.
