MITIGATION APPROACHES FOR FOODBORNE PATHOGENS IN CATTLE AND SWINE FOR USE DURING PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

Objective 1: Develop and validate novel pre- and post-harvest intervention strategies to reduce or eliminate foodborne pathogen colonization and persistence in the animal and on carcasses and meat products. Sub-objective 1.A: Identify effective control measures to reduce pathogens and in the pre-harvest environment. Sub-objective 1.B: Identify and/or improve efficacious non-thermal post-harvest interventions to reduce contamination of processing plant surfaces, hides, carcasses, and meat products. Sub-objective 1.C: Determine if current processing interventions are equally effective on AMR bacteria and foodborne pathogens. Objective 2: Develop improved sampling, detection, and tracking technologies to identify points, including biofilms, where pathogens persist and contaminate in the production of red meat. Sub-objective 2.A: Characterization of bacterial and environmental components contributing to high event periods (HEP) of E. coli O157:H7 contamination at beef processing plants. Sub-objective 2.B: Identify improved sampling and detections technologies for foodborne pathogens associated with red meat. Sub-objective 2.C: Develop and evaluate indicator organisms as surrogates for tracking pathogens through beef processing. Objective 3: Identify environmental and management practices that influence antimicrobial resistance, colonization of lymph nodes, and colonization rates of cattle, veal, and swine. Sub-objective 3.A: Determine effects of season and production system on occurrence of antimicrobial resistance and foodborne pathogens associated with food animal production. Sub-objective 3.B: Identify environmental and management practices that influence Salmonella in lymph nodes. Sub-objective 3.C: Determine the prevalence of STEC and AMR in veal production systems and identify factors contributing to colonization.