Campylobacter is a cause of food poisoning in people and is often found in chickens. In the UK alone, it is estimated that more than half a million people are infected with Campylobacter each year.
Overuse of antibiotics, high animal numbers and low genetic diversity caused by intensive farming techniques increase the likelihood of pathogens becoming a major public health risk, according to new research led by UK scientists.
An international team of researchers led by the Universities of Bath and Sheffield, investigated the evolution of Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium carried by cattle which is the leading cause of gastroenteritis in high income countries.
Campylobacter facts:
The researchers, publishing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, studied the genetic evolution of the pathogen and found that cattle-specific strains of the bacterium emerged at the same time as a dramatic rise in cattle numbers in the 20th Century.
The authors of the study suggest that changes in cattle diet, anatomy and physiology triggered gene transfer between general and cattle-specific strains with significant gene gain and loss. This helped the bacterium to cross the species barrier and infect humans, triggering a major public health problem.
Combine this with the increased movement of animals globally, intensive farming practices have provided the perfect environment in which to spread globally through trade networks.
Professor Sam Sheppard from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, said: “There are an estimated 1.5 billion cattle on Earth, each producing around 30 kg of manure each day; if roughly 20 per cent of these are carrying Campylobacter, that amounts to a huge potential public health risk.
“Over the past few decades, there have been several viruses and pathogenic bacteria that have switched species from wild animals to humans: HIV started in monkeys; H5N1 came from birds; now Covid-19 is suspected to have come from bats.
“Our work shows that environmental change and increased contact with farm animals has caused bacterial infections to cross over to humans too.
“I think this is a wake-up call to be more responsible about farming methods, so we can reduce the risk of outbreaks of problematic pathogens in the future.”
Professor Dave Kelly from the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield said: “Human pathogens carried in animals are an increasing threat and our findings highlight how their adaptability can allow them to switch hosts and exploit intensive farming practices.”
The researchers hope that their study can help scientists predict potential problems in the future so they can be prevented before they turn into another epidemic.
Little information has been published on the microbiological aspects of U.S. commercial duck processing. The objective of this study was to measure prevalence and/or levels of bacteria in duck samples representing the live bird and partially or fully processed oven-ready duck meat. At 12 monthly sampling times, samples were collected at six sites along the processing line in a commercial duck slaughter plant. Crop and cecum samples were collected at the point of evisceration. Whole carcass rinse samples were collected before and after carcass immersion chilling plus application of an antimicrobial spray. Leg quarters were collected from the cut-up line before and after application of an antimicrobial dip treatment. All samples (five from each site per monthly replication) were directly plated and/or enriched for Salmonella and Campylobacter. For the last 10 replications, carcass and leg quarter rinse samples were also evaluated for enumeration of total aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, and coliforms. Most cecum, crop, and prechill carcass rinse samples were positive for Campylobacter (80, 72, and 67%, respectively). Carcass chilling and chlorinated spray significantly lowered Campylobacter prevalence (P < 0.01), and even fewer leg quarters were positive for Campylobacter (P < 0.01). Passage through a chlorinated dip did not further reduce Campylobacter prevalence on leg quarters. Salmonella was infrequently found in any of the samples examined (≤10%). Total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and E. coli levels were reduced (P < 0.01) on whole carcasses by chilling but were not different after cut-up or leg quarter dip treatment. Overall, current commercial duck processing techniques as applied in the tested plant were effective for reducing the prevalence and levels of Campylobacter on duck meat products.
The present study investigated the effects of combined ultrasound (37 kHz, 380 W for 5 min) and peroxyacetic acid (PAA; 50–200 ppm) treatment on the reduction of Salmonella Typhimurium and Campylobacter jejuni on chicken skin. Ultrasound was not sufficient to inactivate S. Typhimurium (0.48 log CFU/g reduction) or C. jejuni (0.25 log CFU/g reduction), whereas PAA significantly (p < .05) reduced S. Typhimurium (0.93–1.59 log CFU/g reduction) and C. jejuni (0.77–1.52 log CFU/g reduction). However, maximum reductions of 2.21 and 2.08 log CFU/g were observed for S. Typhimurium and C. jejuni, respectively, for combined treatment with 5 min of ultrasound and 200 ppm PAA. Our results indicate that a combination of ultrasound treatment for 5 min and 200 ppm PAA was more effective in reducing S. Typhimurium and C. jejuni compared to the individual treatments, without significantly affecting the color or texture of the chicken skin, thus, demonstrating its potential to increase the microbial safety during poultry processing.
For home cooks, widespread techniques for judging doneness of chicken may not ensure that pathogens are reduced to safe levels. Solveig Langsrud of the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on April 29, 2020.
Chicken can harbor the bacterial pathogens Salmonella and Campylobacter. High temperatures can kill these microbes, but enough may survive to cause illness if meat is undercooked. Recommendations for monitoring doneness vary widely, and the prevalence and safety of methods commonly used by home cooks have been unclear.
To help clarify consumers’ chicken cooking practices, Lansgrud and colleagues surveyed 3,969 private households across five European countries (France, Norway, Portugal, Romania, and the U.K.) on their personal chicken cooking practices. They also interviewed and observed chicken cooking practices in 75 additional households in the same countries.
The 2011 EFSA opinion on Campylobacter was updated using more recent scientific data. The relative risk reduction in EU human campylobacteriosis attributable to broiler meat was estimated for on‐farm control options using Population Attributable Fractions (PAF) for interventions that reduce Campylobacter flock prevalence, updating the modelling approach for interventions that reduce caecal concentrations and reviewing scientific literature. According to the PAF analyses calculated for six control options, the mean relative risk reductions that could be achieved by adoption of each of these six control options individually are estimated to be substantial but the width of the confidence intervals of all control options indicates a high degree of uncertainty in the specific risk reduction potentials. The updated model resulted in lower estimates of impact than the model used in the previous opinion. A 3‐log10 reduction in broiler caecal concentrations was estimated to reduce the relative EU risk of human campylobacteriosis attributable to broiler meat by 58% compared to an estimate larger than 90% in the previous opinion. Expert Knowledge Elicitation was used to rank control options, for weighting and integrating different evidence streams and assess uncertainties. Medians of the relative risk reductions of selected control options had largely overlapping probability intervals, so the rank order was uncertain: vaccination 27% (90% probability interval (PI) 4–74%); feed and water additives 24% (90% PI 4–60%); discontinued thinning 18% (90% PI 5–65%); employing few and well‐trained staff 16% (90% PI 5–45%); avoiding drinkers that allow standing water 15% (90% PI 4–53%); addition of disinfectants to drinking water 14% (90% PI 3–36%); hygienic anterooms 12% (90% PI 3–50%); designated tools per broiler house 7% (90% PI 1–18%). It is not possible to quantify the effects of combined control activities because the evidence‐derived estimates are inter‐dependent and there is a high level of uncertainty associated with each.
Transplanting gut microbes from chickens more resistant to Campylobacter into birds that are susceptible does not improve resistance, according to researchers.
To determine the types and numbers of microbes present, scientists from the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland analyzed the genetic makeup of gut microbiota from chicken lines with different resistance to the bacteria.
Transplanted gut bacteria only survived in the susceptible chickens for a limited time and those chickens became even more susceptible to Campylobacter.
Transplanting gut microbes from chickens that are relatively resistant to Campylobacter bacteria into those that are susceptible does not improve resistance, a study shows.
The findings were labelled ‘unexpected’, as they contradicted previous studies in mice, scientists at the UK’s Roslin Institute found.
Campylobacter is a leading cause of food poisoning in people and is commonly found in chickens.
Infections are a serious problem in people, resulting in diarrhoea and severe complications in some cases.
Up to 80 percent of cases are caused by consumers handling and eating contaminated chicken meat.
Each year, it is estimated that more than half a million people in the UK are infected with Campylobacter and the disease costs the country approximately £50 million.
Campylobacter is the chief cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in developed countries and poultry is considered as the main cause of infection. Nonetheless, of extensive scientific efforts to exterminate the Campylobacter and numerous measures currently implemented, it has not been successful to provide Campylobacter‐free poultry. Therefore, this study aimed to depict the level of perceived risk and identify the target groups who exhibit particularly unsafe behavior by surveying the general public residing in Ireland. A total of 1,171 participants from all over the Republic of Ireland contributed to the survey. Result reveals that a substantial number of consumers still lacks awareness. Not more than 9.5% were very knowledgeable, that is, those who attained 70% passing score and 30.7% attain a score between 50 and 70%. A total of 40.2% overall pass rate. Significant differences were found in their risk perception and gender (p ≤ .05), age (p ≤ .05), and education level (p ≤ .05). This study observed that male, age between 18 and 25 with primary or no qualification and living alone are the group who exhibit particularly unsafe behavior when preparing poultry and are require most in risk communication effort. By informing, elevating the awareness, and affirming the severity of the risk to the consumer, subsequently, the incidents of Campylobacteriosis can be reduced in the Irish population.
Food poisoning outbreaks occur every year in the United States. These outbreaks can be caused by bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria Monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Brucella, Vibrio, and Bacillus cereus; and viruses such as norovirus and hepatitis A. At least 48,000,000 Americans are sickened with food poisoning every year. Do you know the common symptoms of all of the food poisoning pathogens? Follow the link above to find out.
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