Prevalence of microorganisms of hygienic interest in goat carcasses in organized and unorganized abattoirs of Jammu region, India

Abstract

Meat borne diseases are of utmost importance in humans especially in high meat consuming developing countries due to poor health of animals, poor hygienic conditions in abattoir and lack of surveillance networks. Monitoring the food borne pathogens and indicators of contamination in primary production at abattoirs is imperative for creating data bank and for effective control of such pathogens before they enter the food chain. In the present study, the micro-organisms of hygienic interest in respiratory tract were screened for prevalence at organized and un-organized abattoirs of Jammu region. Samples were collected from nasal cavity, trachea and lungs of both diseased and apparently healthy goats by use of cotton swabs and kept in transport media. A total of 230 samples were collected and analyzed for Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Pasteurella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and E. coli. Apparently healthy animals and diseased animals showed prevalence of microbes as 32% and 70.66% respectively. Nasal swab, tracheal samples and lung samples respectively showed prevalence of 54.05%, 39.19% and 32.00% respectively. Staphylococcus spp. showed highest percentage (46.60%) while E. coli represented the lowest (3.88%). Streptococcus, Pasteurella and Pseudomonas respectively, represented 24.27%, 15.53% and 9.70%.