Prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica in finishing swine at Canadian abattoirs.

The prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Yersinia enterocolitica in finishing swine was evaluated using samples of cecal material. Samples were taken at six different slaughterhouses from 1420 healthy, 5-month-old pigs, raised by 223 producers in Quebec (1009 samples), Ontario (283), and Manitoba, Canada (128). Two different broth media (Rappaport-Vassiliadis and Tetrathionate brilliant green) were used for the selective enrichment of Salmonella spp. The recovery of Y. enterocolitica was done by a cold enrichment technique, followed by plating on a selective media (cefsulodin-irgasan-novobiocin agar). Prevalence (with a 95% confidence interval) of Salmonella spp. and Y. enterocolitica were, respectively, 5.2% (4.0 to 6.4%) and 20.9% (18.8 to 23.0%). Overall, 24.6% of the animals tested were positive for one or both of these pathogens. Since only a few herds (2.8%) appeared to be highly contaminated by Salmonella spp., efforts should be undertaken in priority to control this pathogen in those herds.