Survival of bacteria in carcasses.
Bacteria injected into the bloodstream of guinea pigs shortly before death decreased in number in carcass tissues for about 1 h after death. If initial bacterial numbers were sufficiently low, all bacteria were eliminated, and carcass tissues were sterile 24 h after death. Carcass tissue sterility was maintained with an initial density of Clostridium perfringens or Salmonella typhimurium of 20 cells per g or with an initial density of the other species examined of several hundred cells per gram. With larger numbers of strict and facultative anaerobes, growth commenced after 3 h in carcasses incubated at 30 degrees C. Spores of C. perfringens were killed over the same period as vegetative cells, but growth did not commence until 8 h after death. Bactericidal activity in carcass tissues must therefore be taken into account in evaluating the significance of reports of deep-tissue contamination of carcasses from meat animals.
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development*; D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D002102:Cadaver; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000254:growth & development; D005506:Food Contamination; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008460:Meat; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000254:growth & development; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000254:growth & development; D013997:Time Factors