Population Diversity ofCampylobacter jejuniin Poultry and Its Dynamic of Contamination in Chicken Meat

Abstract

This study aimed to analyse the diversity of the Campylobacter jejuni population in broilers and to evaluate the major source of contamination in poultry meat. Eight rearing cycles over one year provided samples from three different broiler farms processed at the same slaughterhouse. A total of 707 C. jejuni were isolated from cloacal swabs before slaughter and from the breast skin of carcasses after slaughter and after chilling. All suspected Campylobacter colonies were identified with PCR assays and C. jejuni was genotyped by sequence analysis of the flaA short variable region (SVR) and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using SmaI enzyme. Phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiles were also assayed using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The flocks carried many major C. jejuni clones possibly carrying over the rearing cycles, but cross contamination between farms may happen. Many isolates were resistant to fluoroquinolones, raising an issue of high public concern. Specific Campylobacter populations could be harboured within each poultry farm, with the ability to contaminate chickens during each new cycle. Thus, although biosecurity measures are applied, with a persistent source of contamination, they cannot be efficient. The role of the environment needs further investigation to better address strategies to control Campylobacter.

Infection, colonization and shedding of Campylobacter and Salmonella in animals and their contribution to human disease: A review

“…Campylobacter spp. are often isolated from clinically healthy domestic animals (Corry, ; Döhne et al, ; Khan, Hill, Nowak, & Edge, ; Marotta et al, ; Rahimi, Alipoor‐Amroabadi, & Khamesipour, ). In most studies carried out, C. jejuni is commonly isolated followed by C. coli (Anderson, Horn, & Gilpin, ; Mdegela, Laurence, Jacob, & Nonga, ; Nonga & Muhairwa, ).…”

“…enterica are among the top causes of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide (Kirk et al, ). Campylobacter and non‐typhoid Salmonellae are recurrently isolated from different types of animal‐source foods, with most of them implicated in foodborne disease outbreaks (Friesema et al, ; Gharieb, Tartor, & Khedr, ; Marotta et al, ; Olobatoke & Mulugeta, ; Taylor et al, ).…”

IMPLICANCIAS DE Campylobacter spp. COMO PATÓGENO ALIMENTARIO

“…Sin embargo, en un estudio para determinar el nivel de contaminación en canales de pollos broiler con C. jejuni, realizado por Gruntar et al (2015), se detectó una mayor contaminación en la fase posterior al desplume, lo que sugiere que la contaminación más importante se produce antes de la entrada a la sala de evisceración, debido a la corta duración de la fase de escaldado (a 54°C) y la consecuente sobrevivencia de especies de Campylobacter en la canal, posterior al desplume. Aunque todas las especies de aves de consumo pueden contener Campylobacter spp., el riesgo de transmisión alimentaria es mayor en el pollo, debido a las grandes cantidades comercializadas por la industria avícola (CDC, 2014;Marotta et al, 2015). Debido a que el bovino también es un reservorio de Campylobacter spp., la carne es considerada un alimento afecto a la contaminación con este patógeno, ya sea directamente o por contaminación ambiental (Fernández y Hitschfeld, 2009).…”

Phosphate transporter PstSCAB of Campylobacter jejuni is essential for lactate-dependent growth and colonization in chickens

“…Common campylobacteriosis symptoms are self-limiting diarrhea (which may be watery to bloody), with nausea, fever and abdominal cramping in human. As C. jejuni is a common member of the chicken gastrointestinal microbiota, poultry meat is a major source of human campylobacteriosis, either through direct consumption of poultry or through cross-contamination of other food (2, 3). As consumption of poultry meat worldwide over the last 20 years has approximately doubled, (4) the threat of campylobacteriosis remains high.…”