Microbiological status of carcasses of hunted red deer, roe deer, and chamois

In the present study, 328 carcasses from wild red deer, roe deer, and chamois hunted in fall 2011 were examined for total viable counts (TVC) and Enterobacteriaceae (as indicators of fecal contamination). For this purpose, surfaces of skinned carcasses originating from six small-scale abattoirs were sampled by swabbing. For the examined animal species, TVC mean values ranged from 4.0 to 4.2 log CFU cm(-2). The proportion of Enterobacteriaceae positive carcasses was 87.5%, 89.3%, and 90.0% for hunted red deer, roe deer, and chamois, respectively. Enterobacteriaceae mean values accounted for 2.3 (red deer) and 2.6 (roe deer, chamois) log CFU cm-2. On the other hand, TVC and Enterobacteriaceae results of carcasses from various abattoirs differed by several orders of magnitude. The low values obtained in certain abattoirs show that carcasses from hunted wild ruminants can be of good hygienic status. To avoid contaminations and to prevent foodborne pathogens from entering the food chain, strict compliance with good hunting and hygiene practices during any step from shooting, through evisceration on the field, to dehiding and processing is therefore of central importance.