Salmonella in Wild Boar Meat: Prevalence and Risk Assessment in Central Italy (Umbria and Marche Region)

A survey was conducted from 2018 to 2023 to assess the presence of Salmonella in 280 hunted wild boar (carcasses after evisceration and skinning, N = 226; liver, N = 258; and fecal samples, N = 174). The overall prevalence was 2.86% (confidence interval 95%, 1.45-5.45%) with five positive samples detected in carcasses, three in the liver, and one in a fecal sample. This prevalence was in line with those found in nearby areas denoting a low number of positive samples. Positive animals were over 24 months of age and weighed, before skinning, 59.00 ± 9.11 Kg and no difference was detected in microbial loads between samples positive and negative for Salmonella (aerobic colony count of 4.59 and 4.66 log CFU/400 cm², and Enterobacteriaceae count of 2.89 and 2.73 log CFU/400 cm² (mean values) in positive and negative subjects, respectively). Salmonella Stanleyville was the most frequently isolated serotype. A semiquantitative risk assessment was conducted for the first time in game meat considering two products, meat cuts intended for cooking and fermented dry sausages. Only proper cooking can reduce the risk of ingestion of Salmonella to the minimum for consumers, whereas ready-to-eat dry sausages constitute risk products in terms of foodborne Salmonellosis (risk score of 64 out of 100).