title: Campylobacter spp. in Icelandic poultry operations and human disease.
abstract: We describe the observed relationship of campylobacter in poultry operations to human cases in a closed environment. During 1999 in Iceland, domestic cases of campylobacteriosis reached peak levels at 116/100,000 and in 2000 dropped to 33/100,000. Approximately 62% of broiler carcass rinses were contaminated with Campylobacter spp. in 1999. During 2000, only 15% of the broiler flocks tested Campylobacter spp. positive. In 2000, carcasses from flocks which tested positive on the farms at 4 weeks of age were subsequently frozen prior to distribution. We suggest that public education, enhanced on-farm biological security measures, carcass freezing and other unidentified factors, such as variations in weather, contributed to the large reduction in poultry-borne campylobacteriosis. There is no immediate basis for assigning credit to any specific intervention. We continue to seek additional information to understand the decline in campylobacteriosis and to create a risk assessment model for Campylobacter spp. transmission through this well defined system.
authors.affiliation: USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, 950 College Station Rd., Athens, GA 30604-5677, USA.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hiett
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Alfredsson
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Kristinsson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reiersen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hardardottir
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Briem
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gunnarsson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Georgsson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lowman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berndtson
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lammerding
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Paoli
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Musgrove
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012621:Seasons