Abstract
Despite continued efforts to improve biosecurity protocols, Campylobacter continues to be detected in the majority of commercial chicken flocks across Europe. Using an extensive data set of Campylobacter prevalence within a chicken breeder flock for over a year, multiple Bayesian models are presented to explore the dynamics of the spread of Campylobacter in response to seasonal variation, species-specificity, bird health, and total colonization prevalence. These models indicated that birds within the flock varied greatly in their response to bacterial challenge, and that this phenomenon had a large impact on the overall prevalence of different species of Campylobacter. Campylobacter jejuni appeared more frequently in the summer, while Campylobacter coli persisted for a longer duration, amplified by the most susceptible birds in the flock. Our study suggests that strains of Campylobacter that appear most frequently likely possess no demographic advantage, but are instead amplified due to the health of the birds that ingest it.
Highlights
Poultry meat has been decisively implicated as a leading infection route for campylobacteriosis in humans (EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards, 2011)
An improved understanding of the transmission dynamics of Campylobacter among and within poultry flocks in the commercial environment is essential for the design of effective intervention strategies to reduce levels of human disease
These dynamics were evaluated within a flock of broiler-breeder chickens through a series of seven models, each constructed to investigate and answer a specific question
Summary
Poultry meat has been decisively implicated as a leading infection route for campylobacteriosis in humans (EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards, 2011). Using an extensive data set of Campylobacter prevalence within a chicken breeder flock for over a year, multiple Bayesian models are presented to explore the dynamics of the spread of Campylobacter in response to seasonal variation, species-specificity, bird health, and total colonization prevalence.
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