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Meat Hygiene

Fig. 12.2 Bovine ringworm on human leg. (By courłesy of Dr J. S. Matthews, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast)

tigation centre aid, cases thereby not bcing officially recorded.

The disease usually occurs after weaning and when pigs are mixed_/ the organism apparently being conveyed by healthy adult carrier pigs in the nasopharynx. However. it is possible that human carriers may on occasions be involvcd.

Since 1973 thcre have been 14 reports of sickness in pcople due to S. suis type 2 (group R) in England, Wales and Ireland. The persons affected wcre abattoir workers (5), meat fac* tory workers (3), butchers (2), farmers (2) and one veterinary surgeon. In one case (a woman) there was no history of any occupational involvement. Ten of the patients developed meningitis, other symptoms being bac-teraemia and arthritis, bacteraemia and lym-phangitis.

Słreptococcus suis type 2 appears to be endemic in many pig herds in the British Islcs and causes sporadic outbreaks of meningitis in growing pigs, being precipitated probabiy by stress. In man it takes the form of a febrile condition with severe headache, numbness of the Fingers, fool pain, rigors and erythcma, but usually no symptoms of meningitis. The condition responds slowly to treatment with antibiotics over a period of several days.

Streptococcal skin infection

Outbreaks of a skin infection due to Slrcp-tococcus pyogfixg£_have occurred among wor

kers in meat processing factories, the first one being reported in Yorkshire in 1978. In this particular instance there was an altack ratę as high as 44% in one particular department (packing). Altogether, there were 103 episodes of infection in 82 workers out of a total Staff complement of 347 in a ooultry processing factory.    .

Mea_Ll\ajldlers appear_to be particularlyjsus- I&JĄ ceptible to streptococcal skin sepsis which jj takes‘the Tonuóf impetigenous or eczematous / lesions,'"Tnfećtion round the nail fold and' infected ^acerations. Secohd, and even Third, episodes of infection may occur.

Repeated irritation with water and deter-gents, skin wounds and abrasions are prob-ably the main predisposing causes.

Control measures indude the adoption of high standards of persona! and environmenta) hygiene, the wearing of gloves, prompt and efficient attention to cuts, regular clcaning and disinfection of door handles, aprons, gloves, knives and swing door surfaces.

Tctanus (lockjaw)

While abattoir workers are probabiy no morę at risk from this infection than other occu-pations, novertheless in an industry where livestock are handlcd and where wounds, often deep pencłrating ones, occur, the possi-bility of tctanus occurring is a very rcal one.

There were 19 notifications of tctanus in England and Wales in 1969 and 18 in 1980,

Fig. I perr y