title: Prevalence of Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in Finnish Slaughter Pigs.
abstract: The prevalence of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica was determined in tonsil and intestinal content samples from 388 healthy fattening pigs at the four biggest Finnish slaughterhouses. These slaughterhouses process 73% of pigs in Finland. Tonsil samples were tested by PCR targeted for yadA, and intestinal samples were cultured. All pathogenic Y. enterocolitica isolates represented bioserotype 4/O:3. The prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in tonsil samples was 60% (95% confidence limit, 55.4 to 65.1%), and its prevalence in intestinal samples was 26% (95% confidence limit, 22.1 to 31.2%). The prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in tonsil and intestinal samples varied between the four slaughterhouses. The tonsil prevalence of Y. enterocolitica was higher in slaughterhouse B, and the prevalence in intestinal content was higher in slaughterhouse C. There were more positive results in both tonsil and intestinal samples in pigs coming from fattening farms than in pigs coming from farrowing-and-fattening farms. A seasonal variation was observed in the prevalence of Y. enterocolitica in intestinal samples, with the highest prevalence during July and August, but no seasonal variation was detected in tonsil samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 Helsinki University, Finland. Taina.Rahikainen@fimmnet.fi.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rahikainen Ibañez
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 Helsinki University, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laukkanen-Ninios
authors.affiliation: Food and Feed Microbiology Research Unit, Research and Laboratory Department, Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Mustialankatu 3, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hakkinen
authors.affiliation: Food and Feed Microbiology Research Unit, Research and Laboratory Department, Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Mustialankatu 3, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 Helsinki University, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vilar
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014 Helsinki University, Finland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korkeala
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*