Prevalence and numbers of Salmonella spp. and Enterobacteriaceae on pork cuts in abattoirs in the Republic of Ireland.

Pork cuts in the meat cutting room environment and swabs (56) from equipment and surfaces of four pork abattoirs in the Republic of Ireland. Salmonella spp. was detected on 24 ? 720 (3.3%) pork cuts (range of <0.03–0.36 MPN g)1) and in 7 ? 56 (12.5%) environmental swabs (range of <0.03–1.10 MPN cm2). There was significant variation in the prevalence of Salmonella on pork between different abattoirs and days of sampling (range of 0–31.7%). The predominant serotype was Salmonella Typhimurium followed by Salmonella Derby. A direct association between Salmonella contamination of pork cuts and equipment ? surfaces was observed. J Appl Microbiol. 2008;105(4):1209-19.