RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Salmonella on poultry carcasses produced in slaughterhouses of Southern Brazil participating of the Official Pathogen Reduction Program conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply. METHODOLOGY: From 2006 to 2015, 77,165 poultry carcasses were analyzed for presence/absence of Salmonella spp. and the results were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Prevalence varied from 2.92% to 5.24%, with a mean percentage of 4.04%. The difference in prevalence numbers was not significant during all the period analyzed. Higher Salmonella prevalence has been reported worldwide, indicating the efficacy of Brazilian control measures implemented in the productive chain and the low risk associated to Brazilian poultry meat consumption. However, additional information about the acceptable and safe prevalence of Salmonella on poultry should be defined by risk analysis studies, considering the reality of Brazilian companies and scientific data. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study can be the first step for a national Risk Assessment and may contribute to improvements in self-controlling programs and with the current Brazilian poultry regulation.
