Prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacter in broiler flocks and broiler carcasses in Italy.
In accordance with European Union regulations, from 5 February until 15 December 2008, sampling and analysis activities were conducted in Italy to assess the extent of contamination caused by thermotolerant Campylobacter in broiler chickens farmed nationwide. The survey involved 48 poultry slaughterhouses distributed across eleven regions of Italy, where the caeca and carcasses of 393 slaughter batches were sampled. A total of 284 batches (72.3%) gave positive results for Campylobacter spp. as follows: 52.1% were contaminated by C. jejuni, 55.6% by C. coli and 1.1% by C. lari. C. jejuni and C. coli were isolated together in 37 batches (13% of positive results). Campylobacter spp. was isolated only from the caeca in 251 slaughter batches (63.9%) including caecal isolates of C. jejuni (48.2%), C. coli (50.6%), and C. lari (1.2%). Carcasses from 182 batches (46.3%) were contaminated by C. jejuni in 40.7% of cases, C. coli in 57.7% and the absence of C. lari from all batches examined. The contamination level observed in the carcasses ranged between 10 and 1.6 × 10(7) cfu/g.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Via Campo Boario, Teramo, Italy. e.digiannatale@izs.it
Elisabetta
E
Di Giannatale
Vincenza
V
Prencipe
Patrizia
P
Colangeli
Alessandra
A
Alessiani
Lisa
L
Barco
Monica
M
Staffolani
Silvia
S
Tagliabue
Carla
C
Grattarola
Anna
A
Cerrone
Antonella
A
Costa
Margherita
M
Pisanu
Ugo
U
Santucci
Giorgio
G
Iannitto
Giacomo
G
Migliorati
D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007558:Italy