A comparison of swab and maceration methods for bacterial sampling of pig carcasses

A swabbing technique was compared with an excision and maceration technique for bacteriological sampling of pig carcass skin surfaces. Total viable counts at 37 degrees C obtained by swabbing were 46% of those obtained by maceration. At 21 degrees C, swabbing gave total viable counts which were 54% of the counts obtained from excision samples. Escherichia coli counts showed wide variation with both sampling methods. Neither method was more efficient than the other in recovering E. coli, although excision sampling gave generally higher counts. Both methods were equally effective at recovering salmonellae from carcass surfaces. There was no significant difference between the methods in recovering particular Salmonella serotypes.