Investigating ways of detecting and handling findings indicating prior septicaemia in bovines

Abstract

The European Union legislation prescribes that generalised cases of septicaemia must be condemned at meat inspection. In Denmark, bovine carcasses with lesions indicating septicaemia are subjected to an additional investigation to elucidate whether findings reflect a generalised or local condition. Local cases can be subjected to an officially guided, complete deboning. To investigate whether the pyaemia investigation suffices, a study was undertaken. The retrospective part included 703 bovine carcasses subjected to deboning, corresponding to 0.16% of the bovines slaughtered. Around 70% were cows and 30% young bulls. The findings detected during post-mortem inspection and the pyaemia investigation revealed different pathological pictures, mainly centred around the codes for osteomyelitis and pyaemia. All carcasses were approved after deboning. The prospective part included 146 carcasses, which were all approved after deboning. Most findings were detected during ordinary inspection and the pyaemia investigation. The few additional findings resulting from the deboning occurred at random and at a low prevalence. This suggests that the pyaemia investigation performed lege artis is sufficient, and the few remaining findings – mainly in the form of abscesses - will be detected and handled during ordinary cutting in the same way as other abscesses are dealt with by the abattoir.