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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2008, p. 5483-5489, Vol. 74, No. 17
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00161-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Baseline Data from a Belgium-Wide Survey of Campylobacter Species Contamination in Chicken Meat Preparations and Considerations for a Reliable Monitoring Program{triangledown}

Ihab Habib,1,5* Imca Sampers,2,4 Mieke Uyttendaele,2 Dirk Berkvens,3 and Lieven De Zutter1

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium,1 Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium,2 Department of Animal Health, Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium,3 Department of Industrial Engineering and Technology, University College of West-Flanders, Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium,4 Division of Food Hygiene and Control, High Institute of Public Health (HIPH), Alexandria University, 165 El-Horrya Avenue, Alexandria, Egypt5

Received 17 January 2008/ Accepted 5 July 2008

From February to November 2007, chicken meat preparations (n = 656) were sampled at 11 processing companies across Belgium. All samples were tested for Campylobacter by enrichment culture and by direct plating according to standard methods. Almost half (48.02%) of the samples were positive for Campylobacter spp. The mean Campylobacter count was 1.68 log10 CFU/g with a standard deviation of ± 0.64 log10 CFU/g. The study revealed a statistically significant variation in Campylobacter contamination levels between companies; processors with a wider frequency distribution range of Campylobacter counts provided chicken meat preparations with higher Campylobacter incidences and concentrations. There was no significant difference between the counts of Campylobacter spp. in various preparation types. However, the Campylobacter counts and incidences in chicken wings were the highest and portioned-form products (legs, wings, and breasts) showed a higher probability of being Campylobacter positive compared to minced-form products (sausages, burgers, and minced meat). The proportion of Campylobacter-positive samples was significantly higher in July than in other months. Recovery of Campylobacter spp. recovery by direct plating was higher (41.0%) compared to detection after enrichment (24.2%). Statistical modeling of the survey data showed that the likelihood of obtaining a positive result by enrichment culture increases with an increase in the Campylobacter concentration in the sample. In the present study, we provide the first enumeration data on Campylobacter contamination in Belgian chicken meat preparations and address proposals for improving Campylobacter monitoring programs.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Phone: 32 09 264 73 41. Fax: 32 09 264 74 91. E-mail: ihab.habib{at}ugent.be

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 11 July 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2008, p. 5483-5489, Vol. 74, No. 17
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00161-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Habib, I., Miller, W. G., Uyttendaele, M., Houf, K., De Zutter, L. (2009). Clonal Population Structure and Antimicrobial Resistance of Campylobacter jejuni in Chicken Meat from Belgium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 4264-4272 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Habib, I., Louwen, R., Uyttendaele, M., Houf, K., Vandenberg, O., Nieuwenhuis, E. E., Miller, W. G., van Belkum, A., De Zutter, L. (2009). Correlation between Genotypic Diversity, Lipooligosaccharide Gene Locus Class Variation, and Caco-2 Cell Invasion Potential of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Chicken Meat and Humans: Contribution to Virulotyping. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 4277-4288 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ragimbeau, C., Schneider, F., Losch, S., Even, J., Mossong, J. (2008). Multilocus Sequence Typing, Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis, and fla Short Variable Region Typing of Clonal Complexes of Campylobacter jejuni Strains of Human, Bovine, and Poultry Origins in Luxembourg. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 7715-7722 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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