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Updated: May 19, 2026
Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species
Published on: May 19, 2018
Inspection of lymph nodes for caseous lymphadenitis and its effect on the density of microbes on sheep carcasses
D Jordan1, C B Sentance, W F Spooncer
1New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, 1243 Bruxner Highway, Wollongbar, NSW 2478, Australia. david.jordan@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Abstract:
This study aimed to measure the amount of microbial contamination caused by inspecting the lymph nodes of adult sheep carcasses for caseous lymphadenitis (CLA). Surface swabs from carcasses pre-inspection (N=296) and post-inspection (N=296) were obtained for enumeration of indicator organisms at three commercial abattoirs. At the scapular site, inspection doubled the probability of detecting E. coli (Pr before=0.35, Pr after=0.67) and increased the expected count of E. coli from 2 cfu/cm² to 13 cfu/cm². Inspection at the rump site increased the probability of detecting E. coli by 1.1 times (Pr before=0.84, Pr after=0.93) and increased the expected count from 32 cfu/cm² to 45 cfu/cm². Effects were also observed for Enterobacteriaceae and total viable count. The findings show that routine inspection of adult sheep carcasses for CLA has a detrimental impact on carcass microbiological traits.
