Salmonella serovars along two beef chains in Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Salmonella has been reported from foods and the food production environment, with outbreaks occurring in the human population worldwide. METHODOLOGY: A survey on Salmonella in two beef production lines (a beef abattoir line and a processing line) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was conducted, with a total of 668 various samples randomly collected from animal-related materials, the environment, and a beef product (mortadella). RESULTS: Overall, a 12.9% prevalence (26.3% from the abattoir line, 5.3% from the processing plant line) was observed. The prevalence in the abattoir line environment (36.6%) was higher than that in animal-related samples (14.7%); the reverse was true for the processing plant line. Out of 86 isolates, 10 serovars were identified, and 8 remained unidentified. The predominant serotypes were S. Saintpaul (32.5%), S. Muenchen (19.8%), and S. Larochelle (12.8%). S. Kastrup and S. London were isolated for the first time in Ethiopia. CONCLUSIONS: Data indicate open ports of entry for Salmonella, with possible transfer along the line. Further investigations from farm to fork are recommended in order to identify these positions of entry.