Salmonella is widespread in all levels of Danish swine production. Faecal contamination of carcasses at the slaughterhouse is inevitable but the magnitude will depend both on number of infected animals and the level of slaughter hygiene. We have investigated a total of 2880 pigs at four different slaughterhouses for quantitative occurrence of Salmonella in intestinal content and on the carcass before cooling. For a subset of the animals (n=1920) also E. coli were quantified in both sampling sites. The input of Salmonella faeces in pigs varied between slaughterhouses, while no difference in E. coli in faeces input was observed. However the carcass contamination varied significantly between slaughterhouses thus indicating differences slaughter hygiene. By establishing a model which quantifies the faecal contamination of the carcasses for each slaughterhouse it has been possible to estimate the Salmonella output on carcasses, which was attributed to slaughter hygiene and not biased by differences in Salmonella status of the incoming animals. By use of a risk model, developed in the project, it as possible to quantity the impact of slaughter hygiene on consumer risk for each slaughterhouse.

Salmonella and Campylobacter are estimated to cause 3.9 million illnesses annually in the United States, and most of these illnesses are food-related. Pigs can be sub-clinically infected with these pathogens and fecal contamination of meat during processing is a food safety risk. Quantitative measures of foodborne safety risk are rarely reported and are a critical data gap for development of quantitative risk assessments. The goal of this study was to determine the association between the concentration of Salmonella and Campylobacter in porcine feces and hide with concentrations in meat.

Lawsonia intracel/ularis (L. i.), an ubiquitous pathogen, is well known as the causative agent of ileitis, a major gut-related health disease in pork production. Two approaches exist to control the ileitis-induced loss: Therapy by antibiotics or prophylaxis by vaccination. This field study was conducted to answer the question: Docs a curative treatment with antibiotics improve performance as good as protection by vaccination in a L. intracellularis infected herd?

The zoonotic parasite, Taenia solium, is a serious public health threat in countries where it is endemic. The larval stage of this parasite is responsible for porcine cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis in humans, which is one of the leading causes of seizures and epilepsy in developing countries. While documented studies have only been conducted in western areas of Kenya, other areas, including Nairobi, have not been investigated to fully understand the epidemiology of the parasite. Seven hundred blood samples were collected from randomly selected pigs presented for slaughter at the largest porcine abattoir supplying unprocessed pork to butcheries within Nairobi city and its surroundings. The samples were tested using an antigen ELISA to determine the prevalence of cysticercosis. Information regarding the pigs’ age, sex and source was obtained from the traders and pork destinations recorded.

The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella, Campylobacter and generic E. coli (commensal bacteria which may harbor antimicrobial resistance genes) from swine feces collected over one year from the top three swine producing states (Iowa, North Carolina, and Minnesota), which represent 51% of the total pig crop in the U.S, plus Ohio. The prevalence of Salmonella (n=462/4426), Campylobacter (n=994/1184) and E. coli (n=833/845) at the sample level was 10.4%, 98.6% and 83.6%, respectively.

Serum of slaughter pigs is being used for routine testing of antibodies against pathogens and can be used for detection of antibiotic residues. Since the assay formats differ (direct detection of antibodies vs. inhibition assays for residues), these tests are performed in parallel, not in a multiplex set-up. For this study, a protocol for testing both antibodies and residues in one sample was investigated using the deticated multiplex xMAP platform for Luminex.

Pnrpose: Epidemiological study of the possible causes and characteristics of gastroenteritis cases, recorded at the area of concern of the medical- social centre of Megara. Material- Method: The material of the study consisted of adults who came to the centre during the period January 2007 until December 2008 and were diagnosed with gastroenteritis. All patients with chronic inflamational bowel disease as well as patients having taken recently antibiotics were excluded. All patients came with symptoms of gastroenteritis i.e. vomits, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, debilitation.

Campylobacter are estimated to cause 2.4 million illnesses annually in the United States, and most of these illnesses are food-related. Pigs can be sub-clinically infected with these pathogens, and fecal contamination of meat during processing is a food safety risk. The goal of this study is to determine the clonal relatedness of selected Campylobacter coli isolates from an individually-identified cohort of pigs collected from five smaple types on the farm to processing continuum.

Nowadays the meat industry and its customers demand for a reduction in antibiotic usc in animals. They ask for further efforts from the production level to reduce the risk of antibiotics resistance. In that matter the EU commission since 2007 has presented its guideline named "prevention is better than cure"; Japan defined new standards for export trade regulations; Carrefour developed special codes of production. Following this requirement of reduction of antibiotic use, pig production should stay technically and economically attractive. The following survey analyses the differences between farms in which oral vaccination against ileitis was introduced and corollary the antibiotic regime reduced (group A), in comparison with farms that implemented vaccination against ileitis without a subsequent change in the antibiotic protocol (group B).

The antibiotic use in the food producing animals is of a growing concern for consumers, human health care, politicians and retail. Also the food producing sector itself is looking for (economical) alternatives for these treatments. One of the tools of reducing antibiotics are vaccinations. Production data of a 500 sow farm with 1900 fattening places was retrospectively reviewed for the period January 2009 till December 2010. The fattening unit had a history of diarrhea (Salmonella and Brachyspira negative, Lawsonia positive). Other clinical signs included an increased number of runts, pigs growing apart, and a high mortality (including euthanasia).