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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2001, p. 2636-2640, Vol. 67, No. 6
Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge),
New Haw, Surrey KT15 3BN,1 PHLS Food
Microbiology Research Unit, Exeter, Devon EX2
5AD,2 and Royal Veterinary College,
Potters Bar, Herts. EN6 1NB,3 United Kingdom
Received 25 October 2000/Accepted 8 March 2001
The recent development of simple, rapid genotyping techniques for
Campylobacter species has enabled investigation of the
determinative epidemiology of these organisms in a variety of
situations. In this study we have used the technique of fla
typing (PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the
flaA and flaB genes) to identify the sources of
strains contaminating the carcasses of five campylobacter-positive and
two campylobacter-negative broiler flocks during abattoir processing.
The results confirmed that, in the United Kingdom, individual broiler
flocks are colonized by a limited number of subtypes of
Campylobacter jejuni or C. coli. In some but
not all cases, the same subtypes, isolated from the ceca, contaminated
the end product as observed in carcass washes. However, the culture
methodology, i.e, use of direct plating or enrichment, affected this
subtype distribution. Moreover, the number of isolates analyzed per
sample was limited. fla typing also indicated that some
campylobacter subtypes survive poultry processing better than others.
The extent of resistance to the environmental stresses during
processing varied between strains. The more robust subtypes appeared to
contaminate the abattoir environment, surviving through carcass
chilling, and even carrying over onto subsequent flocks. From these
studies it is confirmed that some campylobacter-negative flocks reach
the abattoir but the carcasses from such flocks are rapidly
contaminated by various campylobacter subtypes during processing.
However, only some of these contaminating subtypes appeared to survive
processing. The sources of this contamination are not clear, but in
both negative flocks, campylobacters of the same subtypes as those
recovered from the carcasses were isolated from the crates used to
transport the birds. In one case, this crate contamination was shown to be present before the birds were loaded.
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.6.2636-2640.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Changes in the Carriage of Campylobacter
Strains by Poultry Carcasses during Processing in Abattoirs
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Veterinary
Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB,
U.K. Phone: (44) 1932357547. Fax: (44) 1932357595. E-mail:
dnewell.cvl.wood{at}gtnet.gov.uk.
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