title: Clostridium difficile in poultry and poultry meat.
abstract: The incidence and severity of disease associated with toxigenic Clostridium difficile have increased in hospitals in North America from the emergence of newer, more virulent strains. Toxigenic C. difficile has been isolated from food animals and retail meat with potential implications of transfer to human beings. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile in chickens and retail poultry meat in Texas. Seven C. difficile isolates were detected in fecal samples of 300 (2.3%) broiler chickens. Three cultivation procedures were evaluated for isolation of C. difficile from poultry meat and detected 1/32 (3.1%), 2/32 (6.2%), and 4/32 (12.5%) for the three procedures, respectively. Chicken and poultry meat isolates were characterized as toxinotype V and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis gel type-NAP7 or NAP7-variant. Susceptibilities to 11 antimicrobial agents in the current study suggested somewhat reduced resistance than reported for other meat or animal toxinotype V isolates.
authors: Food and Feed Safety Research Unit, SPARC, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, College Station, Texas 77845, USA. roger.harvey@ars.usda.gov
authors: Roger B
authors: RB
authors: Harvey
authors: Keri N
authors: KN
authors: Norman
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Andrews
authors: Michael E
authors: ME
authors: Hume
authors: Charles M
authors: CM
authors: Scanlan
authors: Todd R
authors: TR
authors: Callaway
authors: Robin C
authors: RC
authors: Anderson
authors: David J
authors: DJ
authors: Nisbet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D002645:Chickens; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile; C031815:toxB protein, Clostridium difficile