Prevalence and distribution of Salmonella in apparently healthy slaughtered sheep and goats in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and distribution of Salmonella serotypes from apparently healthy slaughtered sheep and goats from November 2002 to May 2003 at Debre Zeit abattoir, Ethiopia. From a total of 107 slaughtered animals (60 goats and 47 sheep), 642 samples (feces, mesenteric lymph node, spleen, liver, abdominal and diaphragmatic muscle) were collected aseptically. Of 107 animals examined one or more of the samples were Salmonella positive in 13 (12.1%) of the animals of which 10 (9.3%) were goats and 3 (2.8%) were sheep. Thirty-three (5.1%) Salmonella isolates were collected from the 642 samples analyzed. Of the 282 and 360 different samples analyzed from slaughtered sheep and goats, 10 (3.5%) and 23 (6.4%) were Salmonella positive, respectively. Salmonella was detected in 2 (1.9%), 3 (2.8%), 5 (4.7%), and 7 (6.5%) of each 107 samples of spleen, feces, liver, and mesenteric lymph nodes, respectively. Of the diaphragmatic and abdominal muscles examined, 8.4% (9/107) and 6.5% (7/107) were Salmonella positive. Out of the 33 Salmonella isolates, nine different serotypes were identified of which S. infantis was predominant (45.5%) followed by S. butantan (24.2%), S. braenderup and S. kingabwa (each 6.1%). Other serotypes identified were S. zanzibar, S. anatum, S. typhimurium, S. kottbus, and S. hadar (each 3%). Results of the present study indicated that Salmonella is common in apparently healthy slaughtered sheep and goats. It also showed the presence of a wide range of Salmonella serotypes in sheep and goats, which are of veterinary and public health significance in Ethiopia.