Control of Salmonella in Pig Farms

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   1. Objectives
   2. Learning goals
   3. Teacher page
2. Course content: Salmonella Control
   1. What is Salmonella?
   2. Human salmonellosis in Europe
   3. European monitoring programs of Salmonella
   4. Pigs and pork as a source of Salmonella in Europe
   5. Salmonella in pig farms
   6. Control Measures
3. Completion
   1. Comments
   2. Self-assessment
   3. Key messages
   4. Further reading
   5. Evaluation
4. Acknowledgement

Course content: Salmonella Control

Human salmonellosis is one of the major foodborne zoonoses in the European Union and the most important one attributed to pork meat. Given the severity of the issue, all European countries have established monitoring programs of the farms, by sampling of pigs at the slaughterhouse. Although usually infection with Salmonella in pig farms is silent, the economic impact to the farms, if the pigs are found positive to Salmonella at the slaughterhouse, is substantial.

Salmonella may become introduced into the farms by a number of different routes and can survive for a long time under hard environmental conditions. A lot of effort and research has occurred towards the reduction of the levels of Salmonella in the pig farms and the identification of the main factors that affect these levels.

The control strategies were mapped under four categories based on the mechanism that they act against the pathogen. These factors are:

• Bio-security measures
• Measures with limited effect on Salmonella levels in the farm
• Measures the results of which depend on the level of Salmonella in the farm
• Vaccination

The effect of these strategies are further discussed and explained.