[Infection prevention in animal husbandry. A contribution to the improvement of the sanitary consumer protection].

The scientific and organizational development of an effective prophylaxis against infections in animal husbandry results from the fact that many zoonoses, like salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis, listeriosis, rickettsiosis (Q-Fever) and cysticercosis as well as certain important virus infections with regard to meat hygiene cannot be detected during official ante- and postmortem inspection. The cause of these infections is clinically inapparent and leaves no pathologic-anatomical lesions. Partly responsible for these latent infections is mass production with its specific forms of husbandry, particularly in poultry and pigs. The development of these animal production methods as well as the spread of the aforementioned zoonoses in man and animal is being discussed in this paper. The information on zoonoses is based on cases reported in accordance with the Federal Communicable Diseases Act and/or the regulations on notifiable animal diseases. The potential harmfulness to the consumer's health, especially in view of his food habits, is discussed in the light of the increase of foodborne infections and intoxications caused by Salmonella. Up until now, several regulations exist to keep causative agents of zoonoses away from animal farms. In view of the successful eradication of tuberculosis in cattle and brucellosis, it is recommended on a longterm basis, to eliminate those zoonoses from animal farms, which are of special importance from the meat-hygienic point of view. On a medium-term basis, examination of farm animals should be introduced voluntarily prior to the official ante- and postmortem inspection. It is of vital importance to establish the necessary diagnostic and practical conditions for the herd-tests. A recommendation worked out by the European Community for the examination of broiler-farms is welcomed as an example of prophylactic measures suitable for the improvement of consumer protection.