Presence of food-borne pathogens on cattle hides

The hide of cattle is known to be a source for the microbial contamination of beef, with microorganisms transferred onto the carcass from the hide, during the slaughter and dressing processes. To assess the potential risk of carcass contamination from food-borne bacterial pathogens on cattle hides, a study was carried out involving 90 beef cattle in the South-West of England to determine the prevalence of these microorganisms. A one-pass swab technique was carried out to sample a measured area on the rump, flank and brisket of each animal. These swabs were processed in the laboratory to determine the prevalence of E. coli O157, Salmonella spp., and Campylobacter spp. on these hide areas. The most contaminated area was the brisket with one in five animals testing positive for E. coli O157 (22.2% prevalence on average) and approximately one in 10 animals testing positive for Salmonella spp. (10.0% prevalence on average). The least contaminated area on the cattle hides was the rump area (3.3% prevalence for E. coli O157, 2.2% prevalence for Salmonella spp.). Campylobacter spp. was not isolated from any samples taken from the 90 cattle studied. The results of this study indicate that the brisket area on the hide of cattle most frequently carries food-borne pathogens and is therefore most likely to lead to cross-contamination of beef during the de-hiding process.