Destructive and Nondestructive Procedures to Obtain Chicken Carcass Samples for Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Detection

Qualitative and Quantitative Determination and Resistance Patterns of Salmonella from Poultry Carcasses

Poultry products are important in the transmission of zoonotic pathogens, mainly Salmonella. This genus causes millions of foodborne diseases worldwide every year. Cross-contamination by food sources in human cases of salmonellosis and the increase in resistant strains have become important issues. A qualitative and quantitative Salmonella detection method was utilized in a poultry slaughterhouse in São Paulo State, Brazil. We collected 33 samples from different batches of carcasses. Each sample was analyzed at three process points: postbleeding, postdefeathering, and postchilling. A fourth point, retail simulation, was added to simulate retail market storage at 5°C for 72 h. The qualitative methods revealed 100% (33 samples) contamination at postbleeding, 39% (13 samples) contamination at postdefeathering, 58% (19 samples) contamination at postchilling, and 30% (10 samples) contamination at the retail simulation. The quantitative results, determined by the most-probable-number (MPN) technique, ranged from <0.03 to >2,400 MPN/g. We identified 23 Salmonella serovars; the most prevalent were Mbandaka, Senftenberg, and Enteritidis. Resistance to nalidixic acid was significantly more common (P < 0.05) than resistance to other antimicrobial agents. Five multidrug-resistant strains were identified. This study contributes important epidemiological data and demonstrates the need to improve sanitary conditions in slaughterhouses.

Evaluation of three sampling methods for the microbiological analysis of broiler carcasses after immersion chilling

Countries have different official programs and implement different sampling methods for the detection of Salmonella on poultry carcasses. In Brazil, a 25-g sample of skin and muscle excision (SME) from the wings, neck, and pericloacal parts is used; in the European Union (EU), a 25-g sample of neck skin (NSE) is used; and, in the United States, the whole carcass is rinsed with 400 ml of diluent (WCR). In the present study, these methods were evaluated to compare Salmonella occurrence and counts of hygiene indicator microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and total viable count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria) using different carcasses from the same flock and also using different analytical units taken from the same carcass. Eighty flocks, with four broiler carcasses from each, were included in this study; three broilers were sampled according to protocols from Brazil, the EU, and the United States, and the last one by all three methods. SME, NSE, and WCR provided equivalent results (P > 0.05) for Salmonella detection on broiler carcasses when using different carcasses from the same flock and when using the same carcass. The predominant serovar was Salmonella Enteritidis. For the enumeration of hygiene indicator microorganisms, WRC provided higher counts than SME or NSE (P < 0.05), when using both the same or different carcasses. Therefore, it is possible to directly compare Salmonella results in poultry carcasses when using the methods recommended by the legislative bodies of Brazil, the United States, and the EU. However, WCR provides the best results for hygiene indicator microorganisms.