Specific Bacteria Species Research Articles

Relative Prevalence of Bacterial Agents and Histopathology in Passed and Condemned Poultry Carcasses and Livers

SUMMARYAlthough postmortem inspection (organoleptic examination by seeing, feeling, and smelling) of market poultry contributes significantly to the assurance of wholesomeness of the meat, such assurance is relative and not absolute. A significantly higher incidence of salmonellae in the cecal area of the intestines of condemned carcasses than in passed carcasses was found in chicken fryers but not in chicken hens or turkeys. Although no single genus of bacteria in the liver was correlated with disposition, the presence of “one or more species” of bacteria in livers was significantly correlated with gross pathology sufficient to cause condemnation. Each of eight separate species of organisms in livers was significantly correlated with condemnation of the carcass for septicemia‐toxemia or inflammatory process. Certain isolates were found in a significantly greater percent of normal livers, suggesting that these are “normal” flora and not associated with disease. Livers that were grossly normal were found to have significantly fewer histopathologic lesions than livers condemned for gross pathology, which, in turn, had fewer lesions than livers from condemned carcasses. No single histopathologic process in the liver was correlated with its condemnation, whereas the category of “one or more lesions” was so correlated. The presence of each of three histopathologic processes as well as “one or more lesions” in the liver was also significantly correlated with condemnation of the carcass. The presence of at least one or more species of bacteria was correlated with at least one or more forms of histopathology, but no specific species of bacteria was correlated with specific histopathologic lesions. Inspection failed to detect numerous livers with histopathologic lesions of varying degrees of unwholesomeness, and, conversely, resulted in condemnation of livers in which no histopathologic evidence of unwholesomeness was detected. Inspection did not detect livers harboring a variety of bacteria of unknown significance.