Attachment of Bacteria to Teats of Cows.

The mechanism of attachment of bacteria to meat skin is of great importance in slaughter hygiene and sampling methods. In this study teats of cows were chosen as the meat surface for attachment experiments. Both the attachment rate and strength of attachment were determined. Results show that bacteria attached themselves readily to the surface of the teat. After the initial attachment the strength of attachment increased. This increase appeared to be faster at higher storage temperatures, and an optimum was reached after 2 h at 20 C and after 3 h at 12 C. After longer periods of storage the strength of attachment decreased, probably due to formation of colonies.