Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli) are leading causes of foodborne gastroenteritis in Japan. Epidemiological surveillance has provided evidence that poultry meat is one of the main reservoirs for human campylobacteriosis, and therefore, improvement in process hygiene at slaughter is required to reduce the number of human infections. This study thus aimed to develop fluorescent immunochromatography strips for rapid and sensitive detection of thermophilic Campylobacter on poultry carcasses at slaughter. To establish the required detection levels, we first determined the numbers of C. jejuni and C. coli on poultry carcasses at one large-scale poultry slaughterhouse in Japan, resulting in the detection of Campylobacter at 1.97 ± 0.24 log CFU/25 g of neck skin during the post-chilling process by using ISO 10272-2:2017. Our developed Campylobacter fluorescence immunochromatography (FIC) assay exhibited a 50% limit of detection of 3.51 log CFU or 4.34 log CFU for C. jejuni NCTC 11168 or C. coli JCM 2529, respectively. Inclusive and exclusive tests resulted in good agreement. The practical usefulness of this test toward poultry carcasses should be evaluated in future studies, perhaps concentration of the target microorganisms prior to the testing might be helpful to further enhance sensitivity. Nevertheless, our data suggest the potential of FIC for rapid and sensitive detection of thermophilic Campylobacter for monitoring the process hygiene of poultry carcasses at slaughter.
Highlights
Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejui) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli) are the leading causes of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, in developed countries[1])
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) performed a baseline survey and concluded that broiler carcasses were contaminated at an average of 75.8%, with significant variations between member states and slaughterhouses5)
The EFSA estimated that the public health risk from the consumption of broiler meat could be reduced by more than 50% if the poultry carcasses complied with a limit of 3.0 log CFU/g of neck skin6)
Summary
Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejui) and Campylobacter coli (C. coli) are the leading causes of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide, in developed countries[1]). The EFSA estimated that the public health risk from the consumption of broiler meat could be reduced by more than 50% if the poultry carcasses complied with a limit of 3.0 log CFU/g of neck skin[6]). Based on this evidence, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) amended Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 to newly set a process hygiene criterion for Campylobacter at slaughterhouses and, in January 2018, started to monitor the bacterial burden[7])
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