The extent of surface contamination of retailed chickens with Campylobacter jejuni serogroups

Epidemiol Infect. 1988 Feb;100(1):17-25. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800065511.

Abstract

Eighty-two chickens purchased at 11 retailers (supplied by 12 wholesalers) in the south of England were cultured for Campylobacter jejuni by a method involving total immersion. The organism was isolated from 22 (48%) of 46 fresh birds, 12 of 12 uneviscerated (New York dressed) birds, but only 1 of 24 frozen birds. Viable counts of up to 1.5 x 10(6)/chicken were obtained from fresh birds and 2.4 x 10(7)/chicken from uneviscerated birds. Surface swabbing of breasts, thighs, wings and vents of fresh chickens showed that contamination was generally distributed over the carcasses. Salmonellas were found in only 2 of 69 of the fresh chickens. The prevalence of several Lior and Penner C. jejuni serogroups was similar in chickens and sporadic human cases of enteritis. Penner serogroup 4 (mostly of Lior serogroup 1) was found in 26% of human isolates and 14% of chicken isolates. The rising incidence of campylobacter enteritis during the last 6 years could well be a reflection of the increasing proportion of fresh chickens consumed over that period (32% higher in 1986 than in 1981).

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Campylobacter Infections / epidemiology
  • Campylobacter Infections / microbiology
  • Campylobacter fetus / classification
  • Campylobacter fetus / isolation & purification*
  • Chickens / microbiology*
  • England
  • Enteritis / epidemiology
  • Enteritis / microbiology
  • Food Microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Meat*
  • Serotyping