Occurrences of thermophilic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campylobacter</Emphasis> in cattle slaughtered at Morogoro municipal abattoir,Tanzania

An investigation was conducted in Morogoro municipality to assess the likelihood of slaughter cattle posing public health risk of contaminating carcasses with thermophilic Campylobacter. Butchers and meat shopkeepers were interviewed on source of slaughter cattle, method of animal and carcass transportation, carcass dressing, meat storage facilities, access to clean water and availability of food hygiene practices. Faecal samples were collected from 107 slaughter cattle and after slaughter; four different parts of dressed carcasses (i.e. from ham, neck, pelvis and thigh muscles) were also sampled. In addition 107 cattle meat samples for Campylobacter culture were collected in different meat shops. The samples were subjected to standard bacteriological examination using Skirrows protocol. It was found that cattle slaughter, dressing and meat handling in meatshops was done under unhygienic condition. Thermophilic Campylobacter prevalence in slaughter cattle was 5.6% while contamination rate of dressed carcasses and cattle meat at shops was 9.3% and 1.9%, respectively. The majority of thermophilic Campylobacter isolated were C. jejuni (88.9%) while C. coli was isolated at 11.1%. Findings of this study suggest possibility of humans acquiring zoonotic Campylobacter infections from cattle meat particularly when meat preparation and processing is not done properly. More work is required to establish the magnitude of zoonotic enteric Campylobacteriosis in humans and epidemiological role of cattle and other animals in the study area.     

Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef cattle: on farm contamination and pre-slaughter control methods

This paper addresses food safety in beef cattle production, with particular emphasis on factors that affect the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef cattle and on control methods that have been investigated. Product recalls and foodborne diseases due to this organism continue to occur even though control measures have been under investigation for over 20 years. Most meatborne outbreaks are due to improper food handling practices and consumption of undercooked meat. However, the majority of pathogenic bacteria that can spread at slaughter by cross-contamination can be traced back to the farm rather than originating from the slaughter plant. This would ideally require the adoption of rigorous on-farm intervention strategies to mitigate risks at the farm level. On-farm strategies to control and reduce E. coli O157:H7 at the farm level will reduce the risk of carcass contamination at slaughter and processing facilities although they will not eliminate E. coli O157:H7. The most successful strategy for reducing the risk of contamination of beef and beef products will involve the implementation of both pre- and post-harvest measures.     

The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in feedlot cattle

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important human pathogen and recent evidence has implicated food animals in the epidemiology of human infections in some regions. While the role of food in MRSA transmission and human health relevance are unclear, MRSA can be found in retail meat products internationally, including beef, yet there has been minimal investigation of MRSA in beef cattle. This study involved screening feedlot cattle for nasal and gastrointestinal colonization with MRSA shortly before the time of slaughter. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was not isolated from any of 491 nasal swabs and 488 faecal samples. This finding is in contrast to studies that have isolated MRSA from retail beef in Canada, performed in the same laboratory using comparable culture techniques. The reason for this discrepancy is unclear but it demonstrates that further study of MRSA in livestock as well as slaughter, processing and retail environments is needed to elucidate the epidemiology of MRSA contamination of meat.     

The prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in Eastern and Southern provinces of Zambia

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and importance of porcine cysticercosis in rural areas of Zambia. The study involved an abattoir survey of 1316 pigs at a slaughter slab in Lusaka and two field surveys in villages in Southern and Eastern provinces. Lingual examination of live pigs and visual inspection of their carcass as well as blood sampling for measuring circulating parasite antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA) were used as parameters to measure infection. In the field surveys, a questionnaire was administered to every household whose pigs were examined to obtain information on pig husbandry practices and to study risk factors for the infection. Out of the 1316 pigs examined at the slaughter slab, 143 (10.9%) and 271 (20.6%) were positive by lingual examination and meat inspection, respectively. Most of the pigs were very heavily infected with predominantly live cysts. The field surveys revealed that eight (8.2%) out of 98 pigs from Southern province and eight (5.2%) out of 151 pigs from Eastern province were positive for cysticercosis by tongue palpation. Using the Ag-ELISA 20 (20.8%) and 14 (9.3%) pigs were positive in Southern and Eastern provinces, respectively. The questionnaire survey revealed poor pig husbandry practices, absence of meat inspection and control, poor knowledge of the disease and poor sanitation in the surveyed villages. The prevalence of pig cysticercosis found in this study ranks among the highest in the southern African region, in Africa and in the world. The current study suggests the presence of human tapeworm carriers and a high risk of human cysticercosis in the surveyed areas as well as in urban centres where pigs from rural areas are increasingly sold, slaughtered and consumed.     

Capacity building: benchmark for production of meat with low levels of bacterial contamination in local slaughterhouses in Somaliland

The objective of the study was to investigate and assess the impact of trainings on the levels of meat contamination produced from local livestock slaughter facilities in the North-West region of Somalia (Somaliland). The investigation considered slaughter facilities where workers had been trained or not. The survey was carried out in four local slaughter facilities. A pre-tested questionnaire on abattoir hygiene and food safety standards was administered to International Aid Organizations, government officials, abattoir workers and supervisors. In addition, a total of 320 surface meat swab samples were collected from randomly selected small ruminant carcasses slaughtered from four purposefully selected local slaughter facilities. The samples were analyzed at Analabs laboratories in Nairobi, Kenya, for total viable counts, total coliforms count and presence of Salmonella species. Meat contamination risk factors associated with hygiene practices based on training offered or not was identified. It was noted that slaughter facilities where abattoir workers had not received trainings on minimum meat hygiene standards and quality assurance systems of good hygiene practices and sanitary standard operating procedures produced carcasses with high levels of bacterial contamination in comparison with those where workers had received the said trainings. The laboratory results were in agreement with poor hygiene meat handling practices and lack of compliance with minimum meat hygiene and food safety standards in Berbera and Burao local livestock slaughter facilities where personnel had not been trained.     

内蒙古肉牛运输的动物福利问题及对策分析

随着近年来规模化肉牛养殖的兴起,内蒙古作为我国和世界重要的高品质牛肉输出基地,其肉牛产量持续增加,但由于运输环节福利理念的欠缺以及操作不规范,肉牛在运输后出现了瘀伤、血斑、DFD肉、胴体重量减轻、运输应激等问题,导致部分牛肉色泽不佳、风味劣化、肉品等级降低,严重影响着牛肉的营养和安全性、肉牛产业以及农牧民的经济效益。因此,肉牛运输过程中的动物福利日益成为生产者和消费者关注的热点。综述了内蒙古肉牛运输中的动物福利问题及国内外研究现状,并提出了改善肉牛运输中动物福利的措施,以期为改善肉牛运输福利提高牛肉品质提供借鉴。     

Meat and potential risks

By the term "meat" the consumer understands muscle meat, that is skeletal muscle. The german regulations, the "Leits?tze für Fleisch und Fleischerzeugnisse" as well as the Codex Alimentarius define meat in a much broader sense to include all edible parts of slaughtered or shot warm-blooded animals (skeletal muscles, fat, heart, gut, liver etc). Therefore, a differentiated procedure is required when the risk of BSE transmission by meat has to be estimated. This must be based on knowledge of occurrence, amount, and persistence of BSE agents in the organs of animals. The risk evaluation has to include further factors: differences between animal species, age of the animal at the time of slaughter, the possibility of contamination during the slaughtering and cutting process, and--as far as meat products are concerned--the processing technology. To date there are no indications for the existence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in pigs, poultry and fish, even though BSE has been transmitted to pigs experimentally by intracranial administration. Muscle meat of these species can be considered safe. Muscle meat of experimentally infected cattle in the preclinical stage and even of animals with clinically manifest BSE has not shown infectivity in homologous and autologous bioassays performed so far. This finding justifies the assumption that the risk of BSE exposure by the consumption of beef can be classified as extremely low. Nevertheless, the absence of a proof of infectivity can at present not be equated with absence of BSE agents. This is because of the limits of sensitivity of the bioassays and because muscle meat does contain non-muscle tissue such as connective tissue collagen, nerve and lymph tissue and blood vessels.     

Prevalence of Salmonella in Ethiopian cattle and minced beef

To estimate the prevalence and distribution of Salmonella in the chain from cattle to the consumer, faeces, mesenteric lymphnodes and beef cuts from 235 cattle, stool samples from 300 workers of the same Addis Ababa abattoir, and 330 minced beef samples from supermarkets in Addis Ababa were analyzed. Isolated Salmonella strains were serotyped and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Low prevalence in faeces and lymphnodes, and higher contamination rates of beef cuts (diaphragm, abdominal muscles) indicate severe cross-contamination during slaughter. Animals of poor health status were far more frequently carriers of salmonellae, which stresses the need of intensive ante-mortem inspection on slaughter animals. During transport from slaughterhouse to the supermarkets, production and selling of minced beef, the prevalence of Salmonella did not increase.     

A survey of bovine cysticercosis/human taeniosis in Northern Turkana District, Kenya

Bovine cysticercosis is a zoonosis that is mainly of socioeconomic and public health importance. A survey of this disease was carried out in Northern Turkana District, Kenya to estimate the prevalence through both serology and meat inspection, to determine the prevalence of the adult tapeworm in the human definitive host, and to determine risk factors for cattle seropositivity. This information is of public health importance and will be of use in assessing economic losses due to downgrading, refrigeration or condemnation of infested carcasses.The study area was stratified into the three livestock grazing regions of Oropoi to the south, Lokichoggio–Mogilla centrally and Kibish in the north for the purposes of the serological and questionnaire (n = 53 herd owners) data. Five adakaars (grazing units) were selected and 34, 63, 49, 75 and 571 cattle serum samples obtained from these. The slaughter slabs of Lokichoggio and Kakuma were visited and 188 serum samples were obtained from slaughter cattle and compared to results of meat inspection. Human stool samples were collected in each of the three grazing areas and 66, 97 and 78 samples were obtained.The seroprevalence of cysticercosis in cattle was estimated at 16.7% (95% CI 13–20.9%) using a secretory–excretory antigen detection ELISA. There was poor agreement between meat inspection and serology (k = 0.025; p = 0.2797). The prevalence of taeniosis was estimated as 2.5% (95% CI 0.8–5.6%) by microscopy.A backwards elimination logistic regression analysis indicated that the grazing unit (Adakaar), the deworming history of household members and the distance (>2 km) of grazing fields from the homestead were significant explanatory variables for cattle being found to be positive on serology. An intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.07 (0.02–0.12); p < 0.0001 was calculated for bovine cysticercosis in this area.     

生物饲料对不同品种肉牛肉质的影响分析

牛肉具有高蛋白质,低脂肪,含磷脂多、胆固醇少,肌肉纤维细嫩、柔软,风味独特等优点。随着人们生活水平的提高和膳食结构的改变,牛肉消费量也持续增加,为牛肉生产带来了难得的发展机遇。试验研究相同饲养管理条件下,生物饲料对不同品种肉牛肉中屠宰性能和常规营养成分的影响,证明安格斯公牛在胴体重、屠宰率、净肉重、净肉率和胴体产肉率相比西杂牛更高(P<0.05);而水分、粗脂肪、粗蛋白含量也存在较大差异(P<0.05)。这能够为提高肉牛的肉质提供科学的依据,在肉牛生产中具有重要的实践指导意义。     

Residues of azaperone and azaperol in slaughter pigs

An investigation was carried out to determine the residues of azaperone in slaughter pigs and pig meat products. The butyrophenone tranquillizer azaperone is frequently administered to pigs by intramuscular injection in order to reduce mortality and loss of meat quality resulting from transportation from the farm to the slaughter house. In the pig, following administration of azaperone as recommended by the manufacturer (0.4 mg/kg i.m.) residue concentrations of about 0.05 μg/g azaperone, and 0.20 μg/g azaperol (the main biotransformation product in the pig) were found in the kidneys; the kidneys proving to be the sampling organs of choice. Pasteurization and other technological procedures did not influence residues measurably. Toxicological evaluation suggests that the residues found do not per se constitute a danger to public health. None the less, the presence of any drug residue in meat or meat products is undesirable, and alternative, non-pharmacological approaches to the problems arising from transportation prior to slaughter should be considered.     

新疆褐牛产肉性能分析

试验选择新疆褐牛30头,育肥4个月后进行屠宰,分析新疆褐牛综合生产性能,为新疆褐牛生产相关标准的制定提供依据.结果表明,短期育肥后的新疆褐牛具有较高的产肉性能,屠宰率55.42％,肉骨比4.47∶1,高档肉占净肉重的17.24％,优质肉占净肉重的27.76％,并对胴体产肉性状指标进行了相关性研究,建立了以体尺测定指标、屠宰测定指标预测新疆褐牛生产性能相关指标线的性回归方程.发现眼肌面积与高档肉产量、高档肉比例具有相关性,可作为新疆褐牛胴体产肉量评定的参考指标,但仅适合在比较重量不同的胴体间使用,对相同重量的胴体,眼肌面积不能作为胴体产肉量评定参考指标.     

Evaluation of kidney function and urinary analytes in Nigerian trade cattle

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This cross-sectional study evaluated kidney function and urinary analytes in cattle presented for slaughter at Nsukka abattoir, Enugu State, Nigeria. A total...     

利用关岭牛及其杂交牛生产雪花牛肉的试验研究

选择8～10月龄的关岭牛、西×关杂交牛（西门塔尔牛♂×关岭牛♀）、安×关杂交牛（红安格斯牛♂×关岭牛♀）、利×关杂交牛（利木赞牛♂×关岭牛♀）各8头，进行育肥生产雪花牛肉的试验研究。结果表明：在同一饲养管理条件下，西×关杂的宰前活重、屠宰率、净肉率、肉骨比值、眼肌面积、高档肉块重最高，依次为利×关杂、安×关杂、关岭牛；西×关杂组、利×关杂组、安×关杂组的宰前活重、眼肌面积和高档肉块重差异不显著（P〉0．05），但均显著高于关岭牛组（P〈0．01）；关岭牛组和安X关杂组的肌内雪花状脂肪含量均为3级，优于西×关杂组和利×关杂组；综合评价关岭牛组和安×关杂组的胴体等级均为3A级，西×关杂和利×关杂的胴体等级均为2A级。结果显示，关岭牛虽然产肉性能不高，但机体内并不缺少优秀的遗传基因，具备选育成优质高产肉牛品种的种质基础。     

意大利皮埃蒙特牛育种方案

皮埃蒙特牛产于意大利的皮埃蒙特地区,是优质的肉用牛品种,具有屠宰率高,优质肉比率高,皮下脂肪少,瘦肉率高,肉质细嫩等特点,因而皮埃蒙特牛的育种工作也备受关注。一直以来,皮埃蒙特牛的育种组织工作由ANABORAPI协会统一管理,开展皮埃蒙特牛的良种登记,后裔测定,冻精生产及推广,后备种牛培育等工作。育种目标也集中在肉用早熟性和母牛产犊顺利方面。本文主要对皮埃蒙特牛的品种、育种组织和育种方案做出介绍。     

Modeling the relationship between food animal health and human foodborne illness

To achieve further reductions in foodborne illness levels in humans, effective pre-harvest interventions are needed. The health status of food animals that are destined to enter the human food supply chain may be an important, although often overlooked, factor in predicting the risk of human foodborne infections. The health status of food animals can potentially influence foodborne pathogen levels in three ways. First, diseased animals may shed higher levels of foodborne pathogens. Second, animals that require further handling in the processing plant to remove affected parts may lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Finally, certain animal illnesses may lead to a higher probability of mistakes in the processing plant, such as gastrointestinal ruptures, which would lead to increased microbial contamination and cross-contamination. Consequently, interventions that reduce the incidence of food animal illnesses might also help reduce bacterial contamination on meat, thereby reducing human illness. Some of these interventions, however, might also present a risk to human health. For example, the use of antibiotics in food animals can reduce rates of animal illness but can also select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can threaten human treatment options. In this study, we present a mathematical model to evaluate human health risks from foodborne pathogens associated with changes in animal illness. The model is designed so that potential human health risks and benefits from interventions such as the continued use of antibiotics in animal agriculture can be evaluated simultaneously. We applied the model to a hypothetical example of Campylobacter from chicken. In general, the model suggests that very minor perturbations in microbial loads on meat products could have relatively large impacts on human health, and consequently, small improvements in food animal health might result in significant reductions in human illness.     

张掖肉牛屠宰性能和肉质评定报告

[目的]通过屠宰分析和测定评价,明确张掖肉牛的屠宰性能和肉质风味,作为依据制定下一阶段的选育目标和选配方案。[方法]选择核心育种场育肥牛,检疫后定点集中屠宰测定分析;分割排酸取样,真空包装不同部位肉样带北京试验室根据相应的测定标准进行肉质评定。[结果]张掖肉牛公牛育肥至22.4月龄屠宰,活重、胴体重分别达635.4 kg,371.4 kg,产净肉303.66 kg;屠宰率、净肉率和胴体产肉率分别达58.48%,47.8%和81.76%;胴体脂肪覆盖度良好,肉色和脂肪颜色达到日本胴体分级标准中较高级别。牛肉肉质细嫩,高蛋白,低脂肪,但大理石花纹欠缺。熟肉制品风味独特,多汁性良好,与北京市场销售西门塔牛肉相比,具有较高的适口性和营养价值。[结论]张掖肉牛品种改良、培育成效显著,生产水平达到肉用牛标准,肉质风味能够满足目前的市场需求;若开拓高端牛肉市场,需着力大理石花纹的培育。     

Estimating the impact on the food chain of changing bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) control measures: The BSE Control Model

The decline in the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic in Great Britain (GB) demands a review of control strategies to ensure that they remain proportionate. Amongst controls that are subject to review are those intended to minimise the risk of BSE exposure of consumers through food. Such risk mitigation steps are costly, and the relative impact of each in terms of human exposure to BSE infectivity is not known. This risk assessment, termed the BSE Control Model, aims to estimate by use of stochastic simulation the impact of testing of cattle at slaughter and the removal of Specified Risk Materials (SRM) on potential BSE infectivity consumed. This paper describes the use of the model to investigate the effect of different risk management methods that have been or could be implemented between 2005 and 2010.Our results suggest that the amount of infectivity consumed in 2005 with the Over Thirty Month (OTM) rule in place was a mean of 0.03 bovine oral ID₅₀ (BO ID₅₀). This is an extremely low amount, particularly considering that it would be spread over, on average, 236 infected carcases that would be further sub-divided into portions for human consumption. The highest contributor to the total amount of infectivity consumed per year is spinal contamination at carcase splitting (35%). In 2006 the OTM scheme was discontinued and head meat was again permitted into the food chain. These changes resulted in an increase in the amount of infectivity consumed, rising to an estimated 28 BO ID₅₀ in 2006, and 19 BO ID₅₀ in 2007.In 2008 the age at removal of vertebral column was raised from 24 to 30 months, and an estimated 24 BO ID₅₀ of infectivity was consumed. At the beginning of 2009 the age at testing of cattle was raised to 48 months for healthy slaughter, emergency slaughter and fallen stock. Under these conditions, an estimated mean of 24 BO ID₅₀ will be consumed in 2009, decreasing to 20 BO ID₅₀ in 2010. Even though presented in terms of bovine rather than human oral ID₅₀, such estimates represent an extremely low exposure of the British population. Considerable uncertainty would surround any attempt to try to convert such exposure into estimates of new cases of vCJD, but the most recent estimates of the size of the species barrier between cattle and humans (4000, EFSA, 2006) suggest that there would be few, if any, new cases of vCJD arising from such exposure levels.     

Prevalence of antibodies to Dermatophilus congolensis in sheep and goats in Nigeria

A serological survey on dermatophilosis was carried out amongst sheep and goats in Kaduna State of Nigeria. Sera were obtained from slaughter animals and from sheep kept on an isolated ranch. The percentage of seropositive animals was 28.0 in slaughter sheep, 0.0 in sheep kept on the ranch, and 23.2 in slaughter goats. The high prevalence of D. congolensis antibodies among small ruminants compares well with the level of prevalence reported of cattle of cattle and calls for a concerted government effort for the control of the disease.     

Relationships between the turnover before slaughter, welfare and the occurrence of defective DFD type meat in cattle

In this article we have presented genetic predispositions and the influence of numerous factors that occur during cattle fattening, transport and holding in slaughter plants, on their welfare and subsequently on the occurrence of defective meat, known in the literature as DFD (Dark, Firm, Dry) meat. Such meat is unwillingly bought by contemporary consumers because of its consistency and processing plants cannot intend it for production of durable processed meat due to its compliance to decay. To a great extent the occurrence of this meat defect is caused by people as a result of ignorance and incompliance of cattle welfare. It should also be remarked that there is a rising number of consumers interested in the place of origin of cattle and the way it was treated.