title: Prevalence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in raw chicken on retail sale in the republic of Ireland.
abstract: To assess the current risks to consumers from Campylobacter and Salmonella in raw chicken products sold in the Republic of Ireland, a retail survey was undertaken to define their prevalence. Samples (n = 510) were analyzed using protocols based on ISO 10272-1:2006  and ISO 6579:2002. Processor codes on pack labels showed that 67% of samples were produced in the Republic of Ireland and 25% in the United Kingdom. Salmonella was present in 5.1% of samples, but the eight serovars found caused less than 7% of human salmonellosis reported in the Republic  of Ireland. The results suggest that on-farm controls to limit Salmonella infection of broilers have been successful and that in Ireland raw chicken is not a significant cause of salmonellosis in humans. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 84.3%. Isolation by the  ISO method found 52.7% of samples to be positive, but overgrowth by contaminants was frequently evident. Therefore, in addition to enrichment, an homogenized sample was plated directly onto modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar, and this detected a further 31.6%. Speciation of isolates  (n = 426) determined that 67% were Campylobacter jejuni and 32% were Campylobacter coli. These species are the most common cause of campylobacteriosis in man. The results indicate that there is a need for poultry producers to introduce interventions to minimize the exposure  of consumers in the Republic of Ireland to Campylobacter spp., as has been successfully done for Salmonella.
authors: Food Microbiology Branch, Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5PX, Northern Ireland, UK. Bob.Madden@afbini.gov.uk
authors: Robert H
authors: RH
authors: Madden
authors: Lynn
authors: L
authors: Moran
authors: Pam
authors: P
authors: Scates
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: McBride
authors: Carmel
authors: C
authors: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D002645:Chickens; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003132:Commerce; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012475:Salmonella / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012478:Salmonella Food Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control; D013045:Species Specificity