Carcass Condemnation Research Articles

Detection and isolation of digital dermatitis treponemes from skin and tail lesions in pigs

Pig skin lesions are common significant welfare issues, and can cause large economic losses, due to culling of severely affected animals or carcass condemnation at slaughter. It was considered that the treponemal bacteria associated with digital dermatitis (DD) lesions in cattle, sheep and goats may have a role in these pig lesions.Specific diagnostic PCR assays for three cultivable DD Treponema phylogroups were used to survey relevant porcine lesion samples. Using these assays, DD treponemes were detected in 88% (22/25), 72% (8/11) and 82% (14/17) of tail, ear and flank lesions, respectively. Mouth swabs from animals kept in enclosures with high prevalence of skin lesions were positive for the DD treponemes, but not in enclosures with low lesion prevalence.Culture of treponemes from skin lesions resulted in pure isolates of all three DD-associated phylogroups. This study shows a strong association of DD treponemes with a range of pig skin lesions.

ESTUDO RETROSPECTIVO DA OCORRÊNCIA DA CISTICERCOSE BOVINA EM MATADOURO FRIGORÍFICO DE SINOP-MT, BRASIL, 2009 A 2014

The current study aimed to verify the prevalence of cysticercosisis in 429, 266 bovines slaughtered from January 2009 to December 2014, in a slaughterhouse with State Inspection Service in the municipality of Sinop-MT. Monthly spreadsheets related to the daily postmortem examination created by the State Inspection Service during the period were used. The overall prevalence of cysticercosis in this period was 0.2%, being greatest (0.4%) in 2009, and lowest (0.1%) in 2012 and 2013. From the total of 222, 218 carcasses and organs condemned, 715 were because of the presence of cysticercus. Cysticercosis is an important cause of organ and carcass condemnation in slaughtered bovines, creating significant economic losses and problems for consumer health. So, the presence of cysticercosis in the cattle slaughtered indicates the occurrence of a significant zoonosis. The presence of the parasite results in countless economic losses, as well as a risk to public health.

Examination of the in vivo immune response elicited by Chlamydia psittaci in chickens

It has since long been reported that Chlamydia psittaci is endemic in the poultry industry in Belgium as well as in other European Countries. This can lead to major economic losses because of a lowered egg production, higher mortality and carcass condemnation. Nowadays, expensive antibiotic treatments are necessary to reduce mortality rate but this can lead to antibiotic resistance. Moreover, C. psittaci can easily be transmitted from birds to humans through the inhalation of pathogen-containing aerosols derived from feces and eye and nostril secretions. Therefore, the need for an efficient vaccine against C. psittaci is augmenting. However, more research is needed to develop such a vaccine. Knowledge on the immune mechanisms of C. psittaci infections is crucial to understand the pathogenesis of, and immunity to this zoonotic pathogen and to act as a basis for vaccination studies. This study has investigated the in vivo immune response evoked by C. psittaci in his natural host, the chicken. Excretion of C. psittaci, chlamydial antibody detection in sera, blood immune cells and the mRNA expression levels of different cytokines, chemokines and one Toll-like receptor were investigated in different organs (conchae, lungs, airsacs, harderian gland, bursa fabricius and spleen) at different time points post infection (6h, 24h, 48h, 4d, 6d, 8d, 10d, 14d and 21d). A higher frequency of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and monocytes/macrophages expressing the MHC II molecule were observed in the infected group. Several cytokines and chemokines are significantly upregulated during infection but remarkably also significantly downregulated, especially at late time points. Furthermore, the only Toll-like receptor investigated, TLR4, was also significant upregulated in several organs. This study can contribute on the elucidation on how C. psittaci interact with his host, leading to the developing of targets for effective vaccination and therapeutic strategies for infection.

Occurrence and location of Cysticercus bovis in cattle submitt

The current study verified the prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in 354.459 bovines slaughtered in the period between January 2008 and December 2008, in a slaughterhouse, in the municipality of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil that has a Federal Inspection Service. Monthly nosograph maps related to the daily post-mortem, created by the Inspection Service during the period, were used. The data was submitted to analysis that revealed a occurrence of 2.487(0,70%) of bovine cysticercosis. The parasite presented a frequency of 56,81% in head muscles and 34,54% in the heart. The cysticercosis is an important cause of organ and carcass condemnation in slaughtered bovines, may indicates the presence of human teniasis in the human population of the area.

Tuberculosis diagnostic methods in buffaloes

São crescentes as perdas econômicas com baixa na produtividade dos rebanhos bubalinos e a condenação de carcaças em matadouros devido à tuberculose, uma vez que os animais não podem ser tratados e devem ser descartados em abates sanitários. A doença tem impacto econômico e social para a cadeia produtiva do agronegócio brasileiro, além de ser uma zoonose de ampla distribuição. Assim como os bovinos, o búfalo é sensível ao Mycobacterium bovis, principal agente da tuberculose zoonótica. A ocorrência da tuberculose nessa espécie tem sido relatada em diversos países, inclusive no Brasil. Para controle e erradicação dessa enfermidade entre os bovinos e bubalinos no Brasil, o Ministério da Agricultura Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA) instituiu o Programa Nacional de Controle e Erradicação da Brucelose e Tuberculose (PNCEBT), cujo principal objetivo é, por meio de métodos confiáveis, obter significativo número de rebanhos livres dessas doenças, em todo o território nacional. Esta revisão reuniu os principais dados referentes ao histórico da ocorrência de M. bovis nos rebanhos do Brasil e aos métodos diagnósticos da doença em búfalos. Na literatura faltam dados relativos à tuberculose bubalina e com o incremento da criação desses animais e de sua importância econômica, notou-se evidente necessidade de estudos e pesquisas relativos à ocorrência e identificação da tuberculose nessa espécie.

A simulation study on the statistical monitoring of condemnation rates from slaughterhouses for syndromic surveillance: an evaluation based on Swiss data.

Syndromic surveillance (SyS) systems currently exploit various sources of health-related data, most of which are collected for purposes other than surveillance (e.g. economic). Several European SyS systems use data collected during meat inspection for syndromic surveillance of animal health, as some diseases may be more easily detected post-mortem than at their point of origin or during the ante-mortem inspection upon arrival at the slaughterhouse. In this paper we use simulation to evaluate the performance of a quasi-Poisson regression (also known as an improved Farrington) algorithm for the detection of disease outbreaks during post-mortem inspection of slaughtered animals. When parameterizing the algorithm based on the retrospective analyses of 6 years of historic data, the probability of detection was satisfactory for large (range 83-445 cases) outbreaks but poor for small (range 20-177 cases) outbreaks. Varying the amount of historical data used to fit the algorithm can help increasing the probability of detection for small outbreaks. However, while the use of a 0·975 quantile generated a low false-positive rate, in most cases, more than 50% of outbreak cases had already occurred at the time of detection. High variance observed in the whole carcass condemnations time-series, and lack of flexibility in terms of the temporal distribution of simulated outbreaks resulting from low reporting frequency (monthly), constitute major challenges for early detection of outbreaks in the livestock population based on meat inspection data. Reporting frequency should be increased in the future to improve timeliness of the SyS system while increased sensitivity may be achieved by integrating meat inspection data into a multivariate system simultaneously evaluating multiple sources of data on livestock health.

Risk factors for whole carcass condemnations in the Swiss slaughter cattle population.

We used meat-inspection data collected over a period of three years in Switzerland to evaluate slaughterhouse-level, farm-level and animal-level factors that may be associated with whole carcass condemnation (WCC) in cattle after slaughter. The objective of this study was to identify WCC risk factors so they can be communicated to, and managed by, the slaughter industry and veterinary services. During meat inspection, there were three main important predictors of the risk of WCC; the slaughtered animal's sex, age, and the size of the slaughterhouse it was processed in. WCC for injuries and significant weight loss (visible welfare indicators) were almost exclusive to smaller slaughterhouses. Cattle exhibiting clinical syndromes that were not externally visible (e.g. pneumonia lesions) and that are associated with fattening of cattle, end up in larger slaughterhouses. For this reason, it is important for animal health surveillance to collect data from both types of slaughterhouses. Other important risk factors for WCC were on-farm mortality rate and the number of cattle on the farm of origin. This study highlights the fact that the many risk factors for WCC are as complex as the production system itself, with risk factors interacting with one another in ways which are sometimes difficult to interpret biologically. Risk-based surveillance aimed at farms with reoccurring health problems (e.g. a history of above average condemnation rates) may be more appropriate than the selection, of higher-risk animals arriving at slaughter. In Switzerland, the introduction of a benchmarking system that would provide feedback to the farmer with information on condemnation reasons, and his/her performance compared to the national/regional average could be a first step towards improving herd-management and financial returns for producers.

Expression, purification and characterization of cold shock protein A of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

The gram-positive bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is the causative agent of different diseases that cause dramatically reduced yields of wool and milk, and results in weight loss, carcass condemnation and also death mainly in sheep, equids, cattle and goats and therefore globally results in considerable economical loss. Cold shock proteins are conserved in many bacteria and eukaryotic cells and they help to restore normal cell functions after cold shock in which some appear to have specific functions at normal growth temperature as well.Cold shock protein A from C. pseudotuberculosis was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The thermal unfolding/refolding process characterized by circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry and NMR spectroscopy techniques indicated that the refolding process was almost completely reversible.

Causes of Beef Carcass and Organ Condemnations in Ethiopia

The authors wish to thank the University of Pretoria and University of Haramaya for financially supporting the study.

Changes in eggshell structure and predisposition of broilers to health problems: is there a common pathophysiology?

A study of broiler breeder eggs differing in eggshell matrix optical density was conducted to determine the association of eggshell structural quality and the risk of disease in broilers.A total of 10 000 eggs from a broiler breeder flock were examined according to the pre-established criteria, and allocated to groups classified as having a high or low density shell matrix.The eggs from respective groups were incubated and hatched in a commercial hatchery. Samples of unhatched eggs from each group were subjected to detailed examination to establish the cause of reproductive failure. First, quality chicks from each group were raised as separate flocks in a commercial broiler barn. Group performance, morbidity, and mortality were monitored throughout the growth period. All birds were processed in a commercial plant, and condemnation data were compiled.There were significantly more unhatched eggs, and fewer quality chicks in the group classified as having a low density eggshell matrix, in comparison to the high-density group.Embryo pathology accounted for a large proportion of the overall reproductive failure in both groups, with a large proportion of embryos showing anatomical anomalies. The eggs and embryos from the low-density eggshell matrix group were three times more likely to be infected.Significantly higher production losses associated with mortality/morbidity, and condemnations of carcasses at processing were observed in broilers from the low-density eggshell group compared with the high-density eggshell group.It is concluded that common metabolic/physiological changes in breeder hens associated with eggshell pathology may be also risk factors linked with predisposition of broiler chicks to some health problems.

A survey of the causes of cattle organs and/or carcass condemnation, financial losses and magnitude of foetal wastage at an abattoir in Dodoma, Tanzania.

Slaughterhouses provide a safeguard that prevents the public from consuming meat of poor quality or meat which may be infected with zoonotic diseases. This work reviews a 3-year database of cattle that were slaughtered and inspected between 2010 and 2012 at Dodoma abattoir, Tanzania. In addition, meat inspection was undertaken for 1 month (December 2013). The aim of this study was to establish causes of organ and carcass condemnations and their financial implications as well as the magnitude of slaughter of pregnant cows at Dodoma abattoir. During retrospective study, it was found that a total of 9015 (10.5%) lungs, 6276 (7.3%) intestines, 5402 (6.3%) livers, 3291 (3.8%) kidneys and 41 (0.05%) carcasses were condemned. Pulmonary emphysema (3.4%), fasciolosis (4.5%), pimply gut (5.7%), kidney congenital cysts (1.9%) and hydatidosis (3.1%) were major causes of organ condemnations. This large number of condemned edible organs and/or carcasses implies that public health considerations result in deprivation of valuable protein. Occurrence of hydatidosis, cysticercosis, fasciolosis and tuberculosis illustrates the possible public health problem and presence of environmental infections. Of the 794 cows slaughtered in December 2013, 46% were pregnant. Financial loss as a result of organ and/or carcass condemnations was estimated at $9892. Condemnation of organs and/or carcasses and indiscriminate slaughter of pregnant cows represent a significant loss of meat and revenue and a reduction in growth of future herds, which has a negative effect on the livestock industry. This justifies appropriate surveillance and disease control programmes coupled with strict enforcement of legislation governing animal welfare to curb the slaughter of pregnant animals.

Assessment of Several Algorithms for Outbreak Detection using Bovine Meat Inspection Data for Syndromic Surveillance: A Pilot Study on Whole Carcass Condemnation Rate

Slaughterhouses are a potential source of data which is under-used for cattle health monitoring. The objective of this work was to assess the performance of several algorithms for outbreak detection based on weekly proportions of whole carcass condemnation. Data from 177,098 cattle slaughtered in one French slaughterhouse from 2005 to 2009 were used. The Shewart p chart, one-sided confidence interval of a negative binomial regression model, and EWMA and CUSUM on residuals of a negative binomial model were investigated. The highest sensitivity was obtained using negative binomial regression and the highest specificity using CUSUM or EWMA.

Statistical Monitoring of Condemnations from Slaughterhouses

Whole carcass condemnations (WCC) following meat inspection could be a valuable indirect indicator of national herd health to monitor. We evaluate the performance of the improved Farrington algorithm for the detection of simulated outbreaks in meat inspection data. Disease outbreaks of random sizes (leading to increased WCC at slaughter) were simulated in the time series of the number of cattle slaughtered and condemned in Switzerland between 2007 and 2012. Overall, the improved Farrington algorithm led to low false positive rates but the probability of detection was low for small outbreaks.

Public Health Implications and Risk Factors Assessment of Mycobacterium bovis Infections among Abattoir Personnel in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic infectious and contagious zoonotic disease of domestic animals, wild animals, and humans. It poses a public health threat and economic losses due to abattoir condemnation of infected carcasses during meat inspection of slaughtered animals. Bovine tuberculosis is widespread in Africa including Nigeria affecting both cattle and humans, particularly Northern Nigeria. A prospective survey was conducted from June to August 2013 in the three Zonal abattoirs of Bauchi State, Nigeria. A total of 150 structured close-ended questionnaires were administered to abattoir personnel to assess their level of awareness of bTB. This study was aimed at determining the level of public health awareness, attitude, and practices of abattoir workers of bTB in Bauchi State, Nigeria. There was a statistically significant association between respondents' awareness of bTB and their occupational status, age, and duration of exposure to cattle carcasses (P < 0.05); the odds of being aware of bTB were 9.4, 7.3, and 2.1, respectively. In conclusion, these demonstrate the urgent need for public health authorities to intervene in bTB control. The risk of bTB transmission as indicated by the personnel's practices and awareness levels in Bauchi State could be prevented through the use of protective clothing (PPEs).

Pilot simulation study using meat inspection data for syndromic surveillance: use of whole carcass condemnation of adult cattle to assess the performance of several algorithms for outbreak detection.

The objective of this study was to assess the performance of several algorithms for outbreak detection based on weekly proportions of whole carcass condemnations. Data from one French slaughterhouse over the 2005-2009 period were used (177 098 slaughtered cattle, 0.97% of whole carcass condemnations). The method involved three steps: (i) preparation of an outbreak-free historical baseline over 5 years, (ii) simulation of over 100 years of baseline time series with injection of artificial outbreak signals with several shapes, durations and magnitudes, and (iii) assessment of the performance (sensitivity, specificity, outbreak detection precocity) of several algorithms to detect these artificial outbreak signals. The algorithms tested included the Shewart p chart, confidence interval of the negative binomial model, the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA); and cumulative sum (CUSUM). The highest sensitivity was obtained using a negative binomial algorithm and the highest specificity with CUSUM or EWMA. EWMA sensitivity was too low to select this algorithm for efficient outbreak detection. CUSUM's performance was complementary to the negative binomial algorithm. The use of both algorithms on real data for a prospective investigation of the whole carcass condemnation rate as a syndromic surveillance indicator could be relevant. Shewart could also be a good option considering its high sensitivity and simplicity of implementation.

Major Cause of Organ and Carcass Condemnation and Its Financial Loss at Bishoftu Elfora Export Abattoir

The study was conducted from October 2013 to April 2014 in ELFORA export abattoir. The aim of this study was to identify and determine the major causes of organ and carcass condemnation and to estimate financial losses attributed to the condemned organs and carcasses from sheep and goats slaughtered in the abattoir. Standard antemortem and postmortem inspection procedures were followed throughout the study. Antemortem inspection was carried out in the lairage. There were higher record of nasal discharge, coughing, depression and lameness in both species. Postmortem examinations were conducted through their identification number to detect gross abnormalities and aesthetic reasons that rendered each organ to be rejected from the view of local and international markets. A total of 384 sheep and 384 goats slaughtered in the abattoir were included in the study. From these slaughtered animals, 768 organs and carcasses were examined. The study revealed that a total of 325 (42.3%) livers, 285 (37%) lungs, 40 (5.20%) hearts, 76 (9.90%) kidneys and 42 (5.46%) carcasses were rejected due to various causes. Stelesia hepatica (38.3%), pneumonia (60%), pericarditis (54.3%) and nephritis (35.3%) were found to be the major causes responsible for rejection of respective organs and carcass. The annual loss due to the rejection of organs and carcasses from the small ruminants slaughtered in ELFORA export abattoir is estimated to be 79,894.58 USD. In conclusions results of the present study justify immediate need of prevention of various pathogens that causes organ and carcass condemnation and pathological abnormalities through development of animal health delivery, enforcement of slaughter policy, education on animal welfare/humane slaughter, and training of slaughterhouse personnel on standard slaughter operations.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis cp09 mutant and cp40 recombinant protein partially protect mice against caseous lymphadenitis.

BackgroundCaseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is an infectious disease that affects small ruminants and is caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. This disease is responsible for high economic losses due to condemnation and trim of infected carcasses, decreased leather and wool yield, loss of sales of breeding stock and deaths from internal involvement. Treatment is costly and ineffective; the most cost-effective strategy is timely immunisation. Various vaccine strategies have been tested, and recombinant vaccines are a promising alternative. Thus, in this study, different vaccine formulations using a recombinant protein (rCP40) and the CP09 live recombinant strain were evaluated. Five groups of 10 mice each were immunised with saline (G1), rCP40 (G2), CP09 (G3), a combination of CP09 and rCP40 (G4) and a heterologous prime-boost strategy (G5). Mice received two immunisations within 15 days. On day 30 after primary immunisation, all groups were challenged with a C. pseudotuberculosis virulent strain. Mice were monitored and mortality was recorded for 30 days after challenge.ResultsThe G2, G4 and G5 groups showed high levels of IgG1 and IgG2a; G2 presented significant IgG2a production after virulent challenge in the absence of IgG1 and IgG3 induction. Thirty days after challenge, the mice survival rates were 20 (G1), 90 (G2), 50 (G3), 70 (G4) and 60% (G5).ConclusionsrCP40 is a promising target in the development of vaccines against caseous lymphadenitis.

Major causes of organ/carcass condemnation and financial loss estimation in animals slaughtered at two abattoirs in Bursa Province, Turkey

An abattoir survey was conducted from July 2012 to December 2012 to determine the major causes of organ and carcass condemnation and to estimate the associated direct financial loss at two abattoirs in Bursa Province in Turkey. A total of 22,872 sheeps and 5363 cattle were examined by postmortem inspection using standard inspection procedures. The total economic loss in two abattoirs was estimated from the summation of organ and carcass condemnation in six-month period. The retail prices of offal (lung, liver, kidney, heart, and spleen) and kg price of cattle and sheep carcasses were obtained from local markets. The results of postmortem examination indicated that a total of 658 (2.33%) offals and 93 (0.32%) carcasses were condemned. While the main causes of organ condemnation were hydatidosis and fasciolosis, carcasses were condemned mainly due to tuberculosis and jaundice. The total revenue in 2012 for all animals (164,080 sheeps and 56,035 cattle) slaughtered in 15 abattoirs in Bursa Province was 144,401,765 USD. This study showed that financial loss due to organ and carcass condemnations at two abattoirs in six-month period was 245,483 USD (0.17% of the total annual revenue of all slaughtered animals at 15 abattoirs). In sheep, six-month financial loss was estimated at 3281 USD and 4015 USD from organ condemnation due to fasciolosis and hydatidosis, respectively. In cattle, total loss was calculated as 4042 USD and 12,321 USD due to fasciolosis and hydatidosis, respectively. A common cause of carcass condemnation in cattle was tuberculosis, totalling 214,995 USD in losses, whereas condemnation due to tuberculosis was not determined in sheep. The current study also showed that six-month monetary losses from carcass condemnation of sheep and cattle due to jaundice were 8099 USD and 6026 USD, respectively.From the data obtained in this study, it can be concluded that bacterial and parasitic diseases remain common and cause considerable economic loss in Bursa Province, Turkey. The result of this abattoir study provided regional information on major causes of organ and carcass condemnation in sheep and cattle slaughtered at two abattoirs as well as giving an estimation of the direct financial losses.

A model for the control of psoroptic mange in sheep

SHEEP scab became a common cause of animal suffering and production loss in British sheep flocks leading up to and following the deregulation of its statutory control in 1992 (Rose...

Comparison of whole carcass condemnation and partial carcass condemnation data for integration in a national syndromic surveillance system: The Swiss experience

We obtained partial carcass condemnation (PCC) data for cattle (2009–2010) from a Swiss slaughterhouse. Data on whole carcass condemnations (WCC) carried out at the same slaughterhouse over those years were extracted from the national database for meat inspection. We found that given the differences observed in the WCC and PCC time series, it is likely that both indicators respond to different health events in the population and that one cannot be substituted by the other. Because PCC recordings are promising for syndromic surveillance, the meat inspection database should be capable to record both WCC and PCC data in the future. However, a standardised list of reasons for PCC needs to be defined and used nationwide in all slaughterhouses.