Molecular evidence of Helicobacter pullorum, as a foodborne pathogen in broiler carcasses in Iran

Abstract

Summary Enterohepatic Helicobacter species, including H. pullorum, are increasingly recognized as microbial pathogens in humans and animals. Tissue samples comprising 100 muscle, liver and heart (each of them) was collected from seven slaughterhouses in Isfahan province, central of Iran. Furthermore, 100 cecal contents were sampled from 100 broiler chickens which did not have gross pathologic signs suggestive of the disease. DNA was extracted from muscle and liver tissues and PCR was carried out for identification of H. pullorum 16S rRNA gene in the samples. The results showed that the H. pullorum genome was detected in 2 of the 100 (2%) liver samples and in none of muscle or heart samples. The positive samples collected from two different slaughterhouses out of seven slaughterhouses. In this study, 11 out of the 100 cecal content samples (11%) from apparently healthy broiler chickens were found positive for H. pullorum. This study represents that chickens seem to be a source of H. pullorum infection and serve as reservoirs for the H. pullorum.