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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #126138
Title: DIVERSITY OF CAMPYLOBACTER ISOLATES FROM RETAIL POULTRY CARCASSES AND FROM HUMANS AS DEMONSTRATED BY PULSED FIELD GEL ELECTROPHORESIS

Author
item DICKINS, M - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item Franklin, Sharon
item STEFANOVA, R - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item SCHUTZE, G - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item EISENACH, K - UNIV OF ARKANSAS
item Wesley, Irene
item CAVE, M - UNIV OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/7/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the U.S. and eating contaminated poultry is major risk factor for human infection. In this study we used pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to characterize 72 strains of C. jejuni recovered from retail purchased poultry over a one-year interval. Multiple patterns, indicating multiple strains, could be recovered from a single poultry carcass. Genetic variation occurs in C. jejuni, which may confound genotyping methods. PFGE using SmaI detected genetic changes after multiple serial passages in culture. This indicates that PFGE is a robust method for characterizing genetic differences and monitoring changes which occur within Campylobacter. This information would be of interest to the extension service, poultry producers and the poultry industry, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter are a major contaminant of poultry and eating undercooked chicken and handling of raw poultry are risk factors for campylobacteriosis in humans. Previous studies have found Campylobacter to be present on 90% of retail poultry carcasses where the bacterial load was approximately 103 CFU/100 gram. In the present study, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to assess the genetic diversity of strains on retail poultry carcasses. Over a one-year study period (March 2000-February 2001), "whole fresh young chickens" (n = 72) were obtained from three retail outlets in an urban community. Campylobacter spp. were isolated from 83% of these carcasses. Strains (n = 70) were defined on the basis of their PFGE pattern. Six percent of the carcasses from which Campylobacter were isolated were contaminated with more than one PFGE distinguishable strain; 41% of the PFGE distinguishable strains were recovered from more than one carcass. Ninety-seven percent of the carcasses contaminated with the same strain were purchased at the same time from the same store. To examine the degree of genetic stability, four strains were followed in vitro for ~ 1,000 doublings. The PFGE pattern of one of these isolates underwent change during in vitro growth. The data indicate that PFGE may be a reliable method in tracing a particular strain back to its retail source.