Effects of cutting process on pork meat contamination by verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) and E. coli O157:H7.

The aims of the present study were: (i) to evaluate verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) prevalence in pork cutting meat; (ii) to determine the effects of cutting process on pork meat contamination by VTEC; (iii) to characterise the VTEC strains isolated from pork and pork cutting plants (virulence genes and serotype); and (iv) to compare the strains isolated the same day in the same cutting plant in order to identify the routes of contamination inside the cutting plant. Pork carcasses from three French cutting plants were sampled before carcass cutting (carcass samples), after carcasses were divided into big portions (untrimmed cuts) and after preparation of primal cuts (rindless boneless cuts), and different environmental sites in each cutting plant were sampled at three different times in the work day. Potable water was also collected. PCR detection of stx genes was performed on a total of 2042 samples. In addition, a second PCR specific for E. coli O157:H7 detection was carried out on the stx-positive samples. VTEC strains were recovered from positive samples by colony hybridisation or immunoconcentration, then serotyped, genetically characterised (eae, ehx, stx1, stx2, stx2e, uidA and genes which are associated with virulence) and pulsotyped. No E. coli O157:H7 was detected. Meat contamination decreased from carcass (12%) and primary cuts (19%) to secondary cuts (5%), whereas environmental contamination increased after 2 h of activity (from 3% before the commencement of the work day to 25% and 20%, 2 and 6 h after commencement of cutting). No VTEC isolates harboured eae, ehx and uidA genes. VTEC contamination routes were not clearly identified.