Salmonella in horses: a source of contamination of horsemeat in a packing plant under federal inspection

Animal contact as a source of human non-typhoidal salmonellosis

Non-typhoidal Salmonella represents an important human and animal pathogen world-wide. Most human salmonellosis cases are foodborne, but each year infections are also acquired through direct or indirect animal contact in homes, veterinary clinics, zoological gardens, farm environments or other public, professional or private settings. Clinically affected animals may exhibit a higher prevalence of shedding than apparently healthy animals, but both can shed Salmonella over long periods of time. In addition, environmental contamination and indirect transmission through contaminated food and water may complicate control efforts. The public health risk varies by animal species, age group, husbandry practice and health status, and certain human subpopulations are at a heightened risk of infection due to biological or behavioral risk factors. Some serotypes such as Salmonella Dublin are adapted to individual host species, while others, for instance Salmonella Typhimurium, readily infect a broad range of host species, but the potential implications for human health are currently unclear. Basic hygiene practices and the implementation of scientifically based management strategies can efficiently mitigate the risks associated with animal contacts. However, the general public is frequently unaware of the specific disease risks involved, and high-risk behaviors are common. Here we describe the epidemiology and serotype distribution of Salmonella in a variety of host species. In addition, we review our current understanding of the public health risks associated with different types of contacts between humans and animals in public, professional or private settings, and, where appropriate, discuss potential risk mitigation strategies.

Incidence of Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. in horsemeat for human consumption

The incidence of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in horsemeat for human consumption was investigated. One-hundred and twenty-one samples of frozen horsemeat collected from two Brazilian abattoirs were analysed over a period of 1 year. Twenty-two samples (18.2%) were positive for Listeria spp. with nine (7.4%) containing L. monocytogenes. None of the samples harbored Salmonella spp.

Sorovares de Salmonella em carne de eqüídeos abatidos no nordeste do Brasil

Nas décadas de 60 e 70, houve um extraordinário incremento da exportação de produtos cárneos de eqüídeos dos países da América do Sul para a Europa e Japão. Este acontecimento favoreceu o aumento de risco da veiculação de Salmonella através desses produtos, para as populações humana e animal, consumidoras. Assim, num estabelecimento industrial e exportador de carne de eqüídeos localizado no nordeste do Brasil (Pernambuco), foram analisados bacteriologicamente, 19.238 fragmentos de músculos mais externos, que revelaram 666 exames positivos referentes a 433 animais (eqüinos e asininos) e resultando no isolamento de 745 cepas de Salmonella. Na amostragem foram caracterizados do ponto de vista antigênico 98 sorovares, predominantemente classificados na subespécie I (98,9%) e tendo como os mais freqüentes S. Anatum, S. Carrau, S. Saintpaul, S. Agona e S. Typhimurium. Pelas análises efetuadas admite-se que as causas primordiais da presença de Salmonella nas carnes, provavelmente decorreu do contato com os excretas dos animais abatidos, bem como pela possível contaminação ambiental resultante, tendo em vista a ausência de portadores humanos, pesquisados numa parcela do pessoal.