At the crossroad between Europe, Asia, and Africa, Bulgaria is part of the Mediterranean – Black Sea Flyway (MBSF) used by millions of migratory birds. In this study, bird species migrating through Bulgaria were investigated as carriers of zoonotic pathogens. In total, 706 birds belonging to 46 species were checked for the presence of various bacterial pathogens (Campylobacter, Yersinia, Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Francisella tularensis, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Brucella spp.). From 673 birds we investigated fecal samples, from the remaining 33, blood samples. We detected Campylobacter 16S rDNA gene in 1.3% of birds, but none were of pathogenic Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli species. Escherichia coli 16S rDNA gene was found in 8.8% of the birds. Out of 34 birds that transported Yersinia enterocolitica strains (5.05%), only 1 carried a pathogenic isolate. Three birds (0.4%) were carriers of nonpathogenic Salmonella strains. Four avian samples (0.6%) were positive for Listeria monocytogenes and 1 (0.15%) was positive for Brucella spp. None of the birds tested carried the tick-borne pathogens C. burnetii or B. burgdorferi sensu lato. Antibiotic-resistant strains were detected, suggesting that migratory birds could be reservoirs and spreaders of bacterial pathogens as well as antibiotic resistance genes.
The top nine retailers across the UK have today published their latest testing results on campylobacter contamination in UK-produced fresh whole chickens (covering samples tested from April to June 2018).
The latest figures show that on average, across the major retailers, 3.7% of chickens tested positive for the highest level of contamination; these are the chickens carrying more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (cfu/g) of campylobacter. The corresponding figure for the previous set of results (Jan-March 2018) was 3.8%, while for the first publication (July-September 2017) it was 4.6%.
Michael Wight, Director of Policy at the Food Standards Agency said:
‘These latest figures are consistent with previous results and show consolidation on the progress made so far in our mission to reduce Campylobacter levels to as low as reasonably achievable. Evidence has shown that Campylobacter tends to be more prevalent during warmer times of the year; so, to have seen the results holding steady during this period is encouraging.
‘I would like to thank the major retailers, processors and poultry producers for their efforts in tackling campylobacter and for working alongside the FSA to coordinate the publication of results.’
FoodWorld 