Porcine PM Inspection Flashcards
RCVS Day 1 Competency associated w/ PM inspection.
Correctly identify conditions affecting quality and safety of products of animal origin, to exclude those animals whose condition means their products are unsuitable for the food chain.
This includes performing post-mortem inspection of food producing animals.
What are the 3 main reasons for meat rejection?
Pathogenic to humans:
- septicaemia, toxaemia, systemic disturbance, parasites, zoonoses etc.
Aesthetics:
- foetal flesh, scarring, bruising, pigmentation, parasites etc.
Legal requirements:
- No ante mortem, contains specified risk material, identification issues, age of animal, residues.
Neoplasia.
In meat animals, the presence of multiple or malignant tumours warrant total rejection of carcass and associated offal.
It will be category 2 Animal By-Product.
Things to think about when carrying out PM inspection.
What is the causative agent/organism?
Is the remainder of the carcass safe for human consumption if part is rejected?
Is the infection/condition systemic?
Routes of infection - esp. resp, aspiration, ingestion.
Parasite lifecycles and final/intermediate hosts.
Animal by-product categories.
What are the 3 animal by-product categories?
Category 1 = specified risk material.
- e.g. spinal cord, bovine brain.
Category 2 = pathogenic for humans or animals.
Category 3 = aesthetic rejection, can be used for pet food.
Main issue w/ meat inspection.
Can only reject what we can see.
- if animal not showing signs of dz, will be passed.
Can only reject for parasites if can see them or the effects of them.
Risk can never be eliminated, only reduced.
Check points in porcine processing that help reduce risk of disease?
Antemortem inspection before slaughter.
Inspection of offal PM.
Carcass inspection PM.
- health marked to say fit or human consumption.
Offal inspection.
Abattoir responsible for ensuring offal remains correlated to the correct carcass.
Every set of offal from every animal is inspected.
Standard inspection and then extra inspection if OV or inspector suspicious.
For pigs, all visual as standard.
- Palpation if suspicious of issue.
- Except heart – can incise to see heart valves if suspicious (generally if something abnormal seen in kidneys).
- Except trachea and main bronchi.
– can incise.
- Except gastric and mesenteric LNs.
– can incise.
Any abnormalities reported back to farm.
Carcass inspection.
Macroscopic exam to assess fitness for human consumption, incl. signs of dz, aesthetic issues and contamination.
Visual as standard for pigs.
- Except submaxillary LNs if suspicious e.g. enlarged.
- Kidneys v important!
– only 2 ways of infection in kidneys:
–> ascending from bladder.
–> blood borne!
—> abattoir responsible for exposing the kidneys.
Look for joint symmetry and arthritis.
Iliac LNs
Tail for tail bites and other lesions.
Inspect pleura.
Inspect submaxillary LNs for enlargement.
Inspect skin lesions and contamination.
- What animal by-product category does a pig w/ chronic focal interstitial hepatitis come under?
- What about liver fluke?
- What about a case of septic peritonitis?
- Enzootic pneumonia?
- Pleuritis?
- Lungworm?
- Melanosis (pigmentation)?
- Suppurative pericarditis?
- Vegetative or valvular endocarditis?
- Category 3 - just scarring so aesthetic rejection.
- As above.
- Category 2 - do not know what the cause is but likely to be pathogenic bacteria.
- Category 2 - rejection of the lungs only as localised there.
- Category 2 - rejection of lungs only as localised there. But not category 3 as unknown cause.
- Category 3 - rejected for aesthetics.
- Category 3 - purely aesthetic.
- Category 2 - could be pathogenic.
- Category 2 - systemic, likely pathogenic.
Conditions of kidneys (SKIN PATCH).
Stones.
Petechiae.
Infarcts.
Nephrosis / Nephritis.
Pyelonephritis.
Abscesses.
TB, Tumours.
Congenital cysts.
Hydronephrosis.
- What animal by-product category does a pig w/ pig w congenital or retention cyst come under?
- Infarcts in kidneys?
- Petechial haemorrhages in kidneys?
- Pyelonephritis?
- Rejection of kidney under category 3 for aesthetics.
- Reject affected part.
Check carcass for signs of systemic infection.
INCISE HEART.
- If associated w/ valvular endocarditis, reject carcass and offal under category 2 as pathogenic to humans or animals. - Suspect infarcts.
Reject kidney.
Check carcass for signs of systemic infection.
Reject carcass and offal under category 2 as pathogenic to humans or animals. - Reject affected part.
Check carcass for signs of systemic infection.
Reject under category 2 as pathogenic to humans or animals.
Enlarged kidney with petechial haemorrhages.
Suspect swine fever.
Open intestines and look at ileocaecal valve for button ulcers.
See if LNs are red and strawberry-like.
Call APHA if suspect still.
APHA make final decision.
- Splenic torsion?
- Auricular haematoma?
- Corynebacterium suis?
- Check carcass.
- if associated w/ septicaemia in the carcass, would be dark.
– category 2 as systemic dz and pathogenic to humans or animals.
- if spleen-only, likely due to torsion, so category 3 aesthetic rejection. - Normally category 3 rejection for aesthetics.
- tend to make a cut in them as rejecting them to ensure no secondary infection – will go category 2 if so. - Produces large submandibular LN so is inspected and head rejected under category 2 if found as pathogenic to humans or animals.
- Avian TB?
- Arthritis?
- Icterus/jaundice?
- Urticarial erysipelas?
- Reject head and check carcass for signs of systemic spread.
Category 2 as pathogenic to humans or animals. - (Normally from umbilical infections).
Rejected affected part under category 2 as pathogenic to humans or animals. - Category 2 rejection of carcass and offal as demonstrates systemic issue and cause unknown.
- Reject skin.
Total rejection of carcass if associated w/ arthritis or valvular endocarditis.
Category 2 as pathogenic.
- Congenital porphyria.
- Septicaemia?
- Melanosis in abdominal fat?
- Pale soft exudative (PSE) pork?
- Osteo-myelitis - dog-sitting pig w/ rear paralysis.
- Septic peritonitis?
- Pleuritis adhering to thoracic cavity.
- Total rejection under category 3 aesthetic rejection as bones are brown and sign of systemic condition.
- Immediate rejection of whole carcass and offal under category 2.
- Rejection of affected part under category 3 aesthetic rejection.
- Reject affected part or allow as is quality issue.
Sign of stress immediately before slaughter (good welfare indicator).
Category 3 aesthetic rejection. - Abscess in spine following tail bite.
Has to be split.
Reject whole carcass under category 2 as associated w/ tail bite. - Reddened.
Category 2 rejection of carcass and offal. - Remove pleura and reject under category 2.
