Transfer Of Campylobacter Research Articles

Quantitative risk assessment of Campylobacter in döner kebab consumed in the west of Algeria

Campylobacteriosis is an emerging foodborne illness which is frequently linked to the consumption of inadequately prepared poultry. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk associated with thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in chicken döner kebab and to estimate the number of campylobacteriosis cases due to its consumption in Tlemcen city (Algeria). In order to estimate the human exposure to Campylobacter from a döner kebab meal and the number of human cases associated to this exposure, a stochastic risk model was developed, covering the whole food pathway. The model details the spread and transfer of Campylobacter in döner kebab from slaughter to consumption and the relationship between ingested dose and the probability of developing campylobacteriosis. Information and data for the development of the risk model were obtained in this study and when not available they were obtained from other research. Whenever possible, the data were represented by probability distributions rather than single point estimates, as they were to be integrated in a probabilistic estimation of the risk using Monte Carlo simulation. We found that 86.2% of chicken meat samples were contaminated, 17% higher than 4.0 Log cfu/g. 37.5% of döner kebab samples were contaminated. It is estimated that 5 infections will occur for every 100 döner kebab consumptions and that one person in sixty-six can get a campylobacteriosis by eating a döner kebab meal. The QMRA approach allows for an overall scenario analysis. It was found that intervention during slaughter and at the cooking process of döner kebab is probably most efficient to reduce Campylobacter health risks. Furthermore, important data gaps could be identified.

Transfer of Campylobacter and Salmonella from Poultry Meat onto Poultry Preparation Surfaces

Thermophilic Campylobacter and Salmonella enterica are major causes of gastrointestinal foodborne infection. Survival of these pathogens on food-associated surfaces is a risk contributing to their spread through the food system. This study examined the transfer of two strains each of C. jejuni, C. coli, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Typhimurium from chicken meat to a knife or scissors used on either a plastic or wooden cutting board. Each strain of Campylobacter and Salmonella at ∼108 CFU mL-1 was inoculated (5 mL) onto 25 g of chicken meat with skin and allowed to attach (for 10 min). The meat was then cut (20 times per implement) into 1-cm2 pieces with either a knife or scissors on either a plastic or wooden cutting board. The numbers of pathogens transferred from meat onto cutting implements and cutting board surfaces were enumerated. The surfaces were subsequently either rinsed with water or rinsed with water and wiped with a kitchen towel to mimic commonly used superficial cleaning practices for these implements, and the numbers of pathogens were enumerated again. The bacterial numbers for both pathogens were determined on thin-layer agar. The attachment of the Salmonella strains to chicken meat (∼7.0 to 7.8 log CFU cm-2) was higher than the attachment of the Campylobacter strains (∼4.6 to 6.6 log CFU cm-2). All four Salmonella strains transferred in higher numbers (∼1.9 to 6.3 log CFU cm-2) to all surfaces than did the Campylobacter strains (∼1.1 to 3.9 log CFU cm-2). The transfer rates of both pathogens from the chicken meat to all the surfaces examined varied substantially between ∼0 and 21.1%. The highest rate of transfer (∼21.1%) observed was for C. coli 2875 when transferred from the chicken meat to the scissors. Most cleaning treatments reduced the numbers of both pathogens (∼0.3 to 4.1 log CFU cm-2) transferred to all the surfaces. Our study gives insights into the risks associated with the transfer of Campylobacter and Salmonella from poultry to the surfaces used in poultry preparation.

Transfer of Campylobacter from a Positive Batch to Broiler Carcasses of a Subsequently Slaughtered Negative Batch: A Quantitative Approach

The present study was conducted to quantify Campylobacter cross-contamination from a positive batch of broiler chicken carcasses to a negative batch at selected processing steps and to evaluate the duration of this cross-contamination. During each of nine visits conducted in three broiler slaughterhouses, Campylobacter levels were determined on broiler carcasses originating from Campylobacter-negative batches processed immediately after Campylobacter-positive batches. Data were collected after four steps during the slaughter process (scalding, plucking, evisceration, and washing) at 1, 10, and 20 min after the start of the slaughter of the batches. Campylobacter levels in ceca of birds from Campylobacter-positive batches ranged from 5.62 to 9.82 log CFU/g. When the preceding positive batch was colonized at a low level, no (enumerable) carcass contamination was found in a subsequent negative batch. However, when Campylobacter levels were high in the positive batch, Campylobacter was found on carcasses of the subsequent negative batch but at levels significantly lower than those found on carcasses from the preceding positive batch. The scalding and the evisceration process contributed the least (< 1.5 log CFU/g) and the most (up to 4 log CFU/ g), respectively, to the Campylobacter transmission from a positive batch to a negative batch. Additionally, the number of Campylobacter cells transferred from positive to negative batches decreased over the first 20 min of sampling time. However, the reduction was slower than previously estimated in risk assessment studies, suggesting that pathogen transfer during crosscontamination is a complex process.

Variations on standard broiler processing in an effort to reduce Campylobacter numbers on postpick carcasses

SUMMARY Campylobacter numbers increase on broiler carcasses during defeathering because of leakage of gut contents through the vent. We tested several processing modifications designed to interfere with the transfer of Campylobacter from gut contents to the carcass surface. The numbers of Campylobacter detected on the breast skin of carcasses treated with each modification was compared with the numbers on control broilers processed using a standard method. Filling the vent and colon with commercially available canned spray foam did not consistently form an effective plug, and Campylobacter numbers increased during picking. Likewise, hanging carcasses with the vent pointed downward during defeathering was not effective in preventing the increase in Campylobacter numbers. Eviscerating carcasses by hand immediately before defeathering eliminated the increase in Campylobacter during automated feather picking. However, inadvertent contamination during hand evisceration led to higher numbers before feather removal. Therefore, we tested hand evisceration before scalding, allowing the scald water to kill and wash away Campylobacter spilled on the carcass during evisceration. Prescald evisceration was effective in significantly moderating the increase in Campylobacter on broiler carcasses during automated defeathering. Changing the order of standard broiler processing may help to control contamination with Campylobacter.

Campylobacter transfer from naturally contaminated chicken thighs to cutting boards is inversely related to initial load.

Foods prepared in the kitchen can become cross-contaminated with Campylobacter by contacting raw products, particularly skinned poultry. We measured the percent transfer rate from naturally contaminated poultry legs purchased in supermarkets. Transfer of Campylobacter from skin (n = 43) and from meat (n = 12) to high-density polyethylene cutting board surfaces was quantitatively assessed after contact times of 1 and 10 min. The percent transfer rate was defined as the ratio between the number of Campylobacter cells counted on the cutting board surface and the initial numbers of Campylobacter naturally present on the skin (i.e., the sum of Campylobacter cells on the skin and board). Qualitative transfer occurred in 60.5% (95% confidence interval, 45.5 to 75.4) of the naturally contaminated legs studied and reached 80.6% (95% confidence interval, 63.0 to 98.2) in the subpopulation of legs that were in contact with the surface for 10 min. The percent transfer rate varied from 5 x 10(-2)% to 35.7% and was observed as being significantly different (Kruskall-Wallis test, P < 0.025) and inversely related to the initial counts on poultry skin. This study provides quantitative data describing the evolution of the proportion of Campylobacter organisms transferred from naturally contaminated poultry under kitchen conditions. We emphasize the linear relationship between the initial load of Campylobacter on the skin and the value of the percent transfer rate. This work confirms the need for modeling transfer as a function of initial load of Campylobacter on leg skin, the weight of poultry pieces, and the duration of contact between the skin and surface.