Climatic factors and prevalence of Campylobacter in commercial broiler flocks in Thailand.
Campylobacter are bacteria associated with human foodborne disease worldwide. Poultry and poultry products are generally considered as a main source of these organisms. Compared to temperate zones, baseline information on Campylobacter in tropical regions is limited. Thus, the objectives of the present study were 1) to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in Thai broiler flocks and 2) to investigate the association between climatic factors (i.e., rainfall, ambient temperature, and relative humidity) and Campylobacter colonization status of broiler flocks in Thailand. A total of 442 commercial broiler flocks reared in the central and northeastern regions of Thailand during 2012 to 2014 were investigated. Campylobacter positive status was identified in 252 examined flocks (57.01%; 95% CI 52.39 to 61.63%). Prevalence of Campylobacter in the northeastern region (54.46%; 95% CI 44.76 to 63.83%) was slightly lower than that of the central region (57.77%; 95% CI 52.47 to 62.90%). More than 65% of Campylobacter positive flocks in the central and northeastern regions had within-flock prevalence higher than 75%. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) revealed that the increased rainfall and relative humidity were associated with the increase of Campylobacter colonization in broiler flocks (P ≤ 0.05), while no relationship between ambient temperature and Campylobacter colonization status was identified.
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Prachantasena
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Charununtakorn
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Muangnoicharoen
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Hankla
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Techawal
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
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Chaveerach
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Tuitemwong
National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand.
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Chokesajjawatee
Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
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Williams
School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, United Kingdom.
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Humphrey
Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.|Research Unit in Microbial Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Luangtongkum
D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens; D002980:Climate; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014887:Weather
Campylobacter; Thailand; broiler; climatic factors; prevalence