Seasonal effects on the survival characteristics of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Derby in pig slurry during storage.
OBJECTIVE
Studies were carried out to investigate the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Derby in pig slurry during summer and winter seasons.


RESULTS
Pig slurry samples collected from a commercial fattening house were inoculated with a broth culture of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Derby, each at a level of log(10) 5.0 CFU ml(-1) and log(10) 2.0 CFU ml(-1). At the higher inoculum level, S. Typhimurium and S. Derby survived for 34 and 23 days, respectively in the summer, and 58 and 46 days, respectively in the winter. Survival at the lower inoculum level for S. Typhimurium and S. Derby was 19 and 16 days, respectively, in the summer and 24 days for both in the winter.


CONCLUSIONS
The survival of S. Typhimurium and S. Derby observed in this study indicates that a 2-month holding period of pig slurry, prior to land spreading, may be adequate if separate storage facilities are provided.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite difficulties correlating laboratory studies with on-farm conditions, pig slurry may not represent a major source of transmission of Salmonella spp. in the farm environment in Ireland.
Mannion
C
C
School of Agriculture, Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine, UCD, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Lynch
P B
PB
Egan
J
J
Leonard
F C
FC
D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005506:Food Contamination; D007494:Ireland; D008372:Manure / Q000382:microbiology*; D012475:Salmonella; D012481:Salmonella Infections, Animal / Q000635:transmission; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000635:transmission
D008372:Manure