[Staphylococcus aureus in poultry slaughter lines]

Abstract

The skins of slaughtered poultry were studied for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in eight poultry-processing plants. Bacteriophage typing showed that S. aureus persisted as 'house bacteria' in all slaughter lines under investigation. As a result of this fact, broilers became contaminated with S. aureus during the process of slaughter. The number of S. aureus organisms finding their way to the carcasses may vary from less than 10/g. of skin to greater than 50,000/g. of skin from one day to another when samples are taken. This finding is evidence of the fact that disinfection occurs at irregular intervals. However, the persistence of particular phage types in processing plants also suggests that the apparatus employed cannot be effectively cleansed and disinfected by a simple procedure.