Sampling was performed during November and December in the hunting season of 2014. In total, 125 wild boars
were sampled during five hunting days, in three hunting areas in Northern Serbia. All samples were collected from
the animals after their arrival at the collection point, and for each tested animal data were recorded including
anatomical shooting location, time elapsed between shooting and evisceration and the level of hygienic practice
during handling and evisceration of carcasses. Skin samples were collected immediately before evisceration by
swabbing approximately 1000 cm2 area (lateral rump-perianal-medial rump-flank-brisket-neck). Following
evisceration, carcass meat samples were taken by swabbing the same location on the corresponding dressed carcass,
but covering a smaller area (400 cm2) for practical reasons. Each swab was placed in a separate stomacher bag
(Nasco, Whirl-pack, 19x30 cm; Fort Atkinson, WI, USA) and transported in a chill-bin to the laboratory within 2 h.
The evisceration procedure was performed in the period 30-90 minutes after killing of the animals, and the carcass
meat sampling approximately 10 minutes after evisceration.