A review of quantitative microbial risk assessment and consumer process models for Campylobacter in broiler chickens

Abstract

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) is an important tool for the characterization of complex exposure pathways that contribute to adverse human and animal health outcomes. Campylobacter spp. contamination in the broiler chicken farm-to-fork continuum has been the focus of many QMRA models, including those, such as Consumer Process Models (CPMs), which focus solely on Campylobacter survival as a function of consumer behaviour during meal preparation. Previous review articles published by other researchers provided summaries and comparisons of existing Campylobacter/broiler chicken QMRAs and CPMs. We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify QMRAs and CPMs available after 2011, or otherwise omitted from previous reviews, to further describe what has become an extensive body of work. A total of five new QMRAs and six CPMs were identified, and are presented herein. Together, collections such as these represent important resources for the development of novel risk assessments, identification and prioritization of persistent knowledge gaps, and recognition of advancements with respect to modelling Campylobacter contamination throughout the broiler chicken farm-to-fork continuum.