The pattern of Campylobacter contamination on broiler farms; external and internal sources

Abstract

This study has established the pattern of Campylobacter contamination on broiler farms, identified an early detection opportunity, highlighted the need to better understand the role of viable but nonculturable Campylobacter in the ecology of Campylobacter on broiler farms and demonstrated the need for improved biosecurity to prevent the spread of Campylobacter from within the house to the surrounding environment.

A Review of the Effect of Management Practices on Campylobacter Prevalence in Poultry Farms

“…Periods of over 14 days can decrease the possibility of residual bacterial contamination (Newell et al, 2011). The benefit of longer turnaround periods is also supported by Battersby et al (2016) who state that rapid flock turnover contributes to Campylobacter carry over with increased risk being reported if houses are restocked within 9 days of depopulation. A study by Jonsson et al (2012) also investigated the effect of the length of time the house was empty.…”

“…Biosecurity is an important measure for the control of Campylobacter because once colonization occurs in a poultry flock the horizontal transmission can be rapid (Battersby et al, 2016). A study by Gibbens et al (2001) demonstrated that well-implemented disinfection protocols could lead to a decrease in Campylobacter prevalence from 80 to less than 40% in broilers (Gibbens et al, 2001).…”

“…Out of all the breaches, 61% of faults were linked to cross contamination of clean and contaminated zones, 14% related to improper use of footwear, 11% inadequate hand washing, and 7% unclean overalls. This high error rate may be attributed to lack of training or lack of understanding of consequences amongst other reasons (Battersby et al, 2016). …”

“…These results suggested that expanding the hygiene barriers to include gates, vehicle disinfection, respecting biosecurity measures during catching would increase Campylobacter reduction, however the value (cost effectiveness) of these additional efforts would not be detectable in the final results (Hald et al, 2000). Preventing farm staff from direct contact with the broilers has been shown to protect the broilers from Campylobacter infection (Battersby et al, 2016). A study by Ridley et al (2011) found Campylobacter matching the subsequent flock type found in the catcher lunch bags, further emphasizing the risk of employees bringing personal items onto the farm (Ridley et al, 2011).…”

“…Using real time PCR Battersby et al (2016) first detected Campylobacter before chick arrival in both internal and external broiler house samples but many of the flocks were negative for Campylobacter prior to slaughter. These results indicate that only Campylobacter DNA was detected or Campylobacter were present in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state.…”