Int’l - Poultry campylobacter source found in lungs

The source of the bacterium Campylobacter on poultry farms and in processing plants probably lies in the birds' lungs, according to research by two scientists, reports Ahmed ElAmin. The bacteria can contaminate live chickens during production or transport, or carcasses during scalding. In either case, Campylobacter moves to contaminate respiratory air sacs and could then contaminate the abdominal cavity, said three scientists working for the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Microbiologists Mark Berrang and Richard Meinersmann and animal physiologist Richard Buhr studied campylobacter before and after chicken carcasses were scalded to remove feathers, an integral step in poultry processing. In a commercial processing plant, researchers collected ten carcasses on each of three days, before and after scalding. They rinsed the entire carcasses and respiratory tracts and took samples for Campylobacter, E. coli and other bacteria. The results showed the same type of Campylobacter were in the carcass and respiratory tract samples. The number and type of Campylobacter in the respiratory tracts remained the same before and after scalding, the scientists found. “This suggests the respiratory tract is an important source of Campylobacter contamination in the interior of the carcass before scalding,” they conclude. The airborne bacteria could be inhaled by the live birds during production or transport, meaning significant levels of the bacteria were already in their respiratory tracts before processing, they state. Campylobacter is one of the most common bacterial causes of diarrheal illness in the US. The bacteria causes campylobacteriosis in humans and can result in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. Some persons who are infected with Campylobacter don't have any symptoms at all, according to the US department of health. In persons who are already ill, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a serious life-threatening infection. Campylobacteriosis is estimated to affect about million persons every year in the US, or 0.5% of the general population.