Salmonella spp. in healthy swine and in abattoir environments in Brazil

Tonsils and inguinal, mesenteric, and prescapular lymph node samples collected from 115 swine carcasses from two abattoirs and a family-run operation in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were cultured for the presence of Salmonella species. Salmonella spp. were detected in 40 (34.8%) of the swine samples with the following distribution: tonsils (31/40, 77.5%), mesenteric lymph nodes (16/40, 40.0%), inguinal lymph nodes, (9/40, 22.5%), and prescapular lymph nodes (7/40, 17.5%). Scalding tank water and environmental swabs collected from the abattoirs were also analyzed. Salmonella spp, were recovered from 13 of 51 (22.5%) of the environmental samples from one of the two abattoirs, none from those from the other abattoir. Salmonella spp. were recovered from the evisceration tables (5/11, 45.5%), the killing room (3/10, 30.0%), the holding pen (2/10, 20.0%), the butchering saw (2/10, 20.0%), and the scalding tank (1/10, 10.0%). The most frequently detected serovar was Salmonella Muenster. The results show the necessity of adopting more effective hygienic measures in the abattoirs as well as in the areas where swine are raised in order to reduce the role of abattoirs and storage facilities in the spread of Salmonella contamination.