Preslaughter intervention strategies to reduce food-borne pathogens in food animals

ABSTRACT Food-borne pathogenic bacteria sicken more than 76 million Americans annually. Many of these illnesses are caused by consumption of foodstuffs produced from animals. Postslaughter intervention strategies effectively reduce bacterial contamination level from the abattoir to the table. However, in spite of these effective strategies, food-borne illnesses and food-related deaths still occur far too frequently. Therefore, strategies that expand the continuum of intervention from the abattoir back to the farm have the greatest potential to reduce pathogenic contamination of meats and resultant human illnesses. A broad range of preslaughter intervention strategies have been contemplated and are currently under investigation. Potential strategies to be discussed include vaccination, competitive exclusion, substrate-adapted competitive exclusion, and the use of pro- and prebiotics (e.g., fructooligosaccharides). Other strategies such as the use of bacteriophage to specifically target certain pathogenic bacteria, and the exploitation of the physiology of specific pathogens will be described. Additionally, the use of antibiotics to specifically reduce pathogens will be examined, as well as the risks incurred by antibiotic usage. The effects of management strategies (e.g., dietary changes), transportation, and stress on food-borne pathogenic bacterial populations of food animals will also be discussed. The parallel application of one or more of these preslaughter strategies has the potential to synergistically reduce the incidence of human food-borne illnesses by erecting multiple hurdles against entry of pathogens into the food chain.

Implications

Access to a safe and wholesome food supply is crucial to the American public, and the food supply in the United States is indeed the safest in the history of the world. Yet food-borne illnesses still occur, and these are often associated with products derived from animal agriculture. Although the meat industry has continuously sought improvement in the safety of its products, much of the research has focused on postslaughter strategies. Until recently preslaughter intervention points have not been given full consideration as methods to improve food safety. The use of vaccination, prebiotics, competitive exclusion, antibiotics, antimicrobials, dietary practices, and good animal management can potentially reduce the incidence of food-borne pathogenic bacteria that enter the abattoir. Further research into interventions that take advantage of this preslaughter “critical control point” is crucial to improving overall food safety.

Key Words: Foodborne Diseases, Intervention, Pathogens

© 2003, by the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved.

J. Anim. Sci. 2003. 81(E. Suppl. 2):E17-E23