Slaughter pigs as carrier of Listeria monocytogenes in Germany

Abstract

Listeria (L.) monocytogenes as the cause of human listeriosis is widespread in the environment and a hazard considering food safety. Almost all animal species as well as humans can be asymptomatic carriers of this bacterium. In pigs, the tonsils are identified as the organ with the highest detection rate compared to other sample matrices. We sampled 430 pigs in total in two slaughterhouses in Northwest and East Germany, two structurally different and important regions in pig production, to re-examine pigs as a possible source of Listeria-contamination of pork products. We detected a low prevalence of L. monocytogenes in tonsil samples of 1.6% (7/430) on single animal level and of 11.6% (5/43) on herd level with no significant difference between the two German regions. Apart from L. monocytogenes, the usually non-pathogenic L. innocua had a prevalence of 1.2% (5/430) on single animal level. From 200 pigs from Northwest Germany, intestinal content samples were analysed in addition to tonsil samples from the same animals, but no positive sample was found for L. monocytogenes (0.0%, 0/200), while four pigs were positive for L. innocua (2.0%, 4/200). Although the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in tonsils is low, the risk of cross-contaminating meat with the pathogen is still given.