On the prevalence of anti-yersinia outer protein antibodies in bavarian slaughter pigs

The aim of the present study was to provide current data on the prevalence of anti-Yersinia-antibodies in Bavarian slaughtering pigs. The recomBlot Westernblot(TM) assay based on five recombinantly produced Yersinia Outer Proteins (YopD, YopE,YopH,YopM,V-antigen) is well evaluated for the use in the diagnosis of human yersiniosis and proved to be also a valuable tool for the detection of porcine antibodies. 965 out of 1002 meat juice samples collected in 53 Bavarian pig farms contained anti-Yop/V-Ag-antibodies. Only blots with three or more detectable signals were considered as positive. On the basis of these results a possible previous history of Yersinia infection was detected in 45,4% of the pigs and all of the pig farms. The high prevalence of anti-Yersinic-antibodies found in this investigation demonstrates the need for further epidemiological surveillance and animal studies to assess consumers' endangering.