ARS | Publication request: Preslaughter Intervention Strategies to Reduce Food-Borne Pathogens in Food Animals

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science
Publication Type: Proceedings/Symposium
Publication Acceptance Date: September 12, 2002
Publication Date: April 1, 2003
Citation: CALLAWAY, T.R., ANDERSON, R.C., EDRINGTON, T.S., ELDER, R.O., GENOVESE, K.J., BISCHOFF, K.M., POOLE, T.L., JUNG, Y., HARVEY, R.B., NISBET, D.J. PRESLAUGHTER INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO REDUCE FOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS IN FOOD ANIMALS. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. 81 (E. Suppl. 2):E17-E23. 2003.

Technical Abstract: Annually, food-borne pathogenic bacteria sicken more than 76 million Americans. Many of these illnesses are caused by consumption of foodstuffs produced from animals. Post harvest intervention strategies effectively reduce bacterial contamination levels from the abattoir to the table. However, in spite of these effective strategies, food-borne illnesses and food-related deaths still occur far too frequently. Therefore, strategies that expand the continuum of intervention from the abattoir back to the farm have the greatest potential to reduce pathogenic contamination of meats and resultant human illnesses. A broad range of preharvest intervention strategies have been contemplated and are currently under investigation. Potential strategies to be discussed include vaccination, competitive exclusion, substrate-adapted competitive exclusion, the use of probiotics and prebiotics (e.g., fructooligosaccharides). Other strategies such as the use of bacteriophage to specifically target certain pathogenic bacteria, and the exploitation of the physiology of specific pathogens will be described. Additionally, the use of antibiotics to specifically reduce pathogens will be examined, as well as the risks incurred by antibiotic usage. The effects of management strategies (e.g., dietary changes), transportation, and stress on food-borne pathogenic bacterial populations of food animals will also be discussed. The parallel application of one or more of these preharvest strategies has the potential to synergistically reduce the incidence of human food-borne illnesses by erecting multiple hurdles against entry of pathogens into the food chain.