Incidence, species and antimicrobial resistance of naturally occurring Campylobacter isolates from quail carcasses sampled in a commercial processing facility

Authors: Cox Jr, Nelson; Cosby, Douglas; THIPPAREDDI, HARSHA - University Of Georgia; RITZ, CASEY - University Of Georgia; Berrang, Mark; Jackson, Jeromey; Mize, Susan; KUMAR, SANJAY - University Of Georgia; HOWARD, AMANDA - University Of Georgia; RINCON, ANGELA - University Of Georgia; UKIDWE, MAYURI - University Of Georgia; LANDRUM, MELISSA - University Of Georgia; Frye, Jonathan; Plumblee Lawrence, Jodie; Hiott, Lari; Jackson, Charlene; Hinton Jr, Arthur; Cook, Kimberly - Kim

Submitted to: Journal of Food Safety
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/2017
Publication Date: 2/5/2018
Citation: Cox Jr, N.A., Cosby, D.E., Thippareddi, H., Ritz, C.W., Berrang, M.E., Jackson, J.S., Mize, S.C., Kumar, S., Howard, A.K., Rincon, A.M., Ukidwe, M., Landrum, M., Frye, J.G., Plumblee Lawrence, J.R., Hiott, L.M., Jackson, C.R., Hinton Jr, A., Cook, K.L. 2018. Incidence, species and antimicrobial resistance of naturally occurring Campylobacter isolates from quail carcasses sampled in a commercial processing facility. Journal of Food Safety. 2018:38:e12438. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12438.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12438

Interpretive Summary: Slightly under one million domestic quails are hatched , grown and processed for sale mostly as a frozen product ito be exported to Europe. The presence of Campylobacter has not been fully studied with this food product. Also this information could eventually assist the broiler industry more fully understand the ecology of Campy with broilers which in turn could lead to more effective intervention strategies.

Technical Abstract: Most of the published information about the presence of Campylobacter on processed poultry is from studies with chickens and turkeys; therefore there is a paucity of published material about the presence of Campylobacter on commercially processed quail (Coturnix coturnix). The objective of this study was to determine the natural occurrence of Campylobacter on quail carcasses sampled on nine separate visits to a commercial quail processing plant. Quail carcasses were aseptically collected just prior to chilling and prior to the application of any antimicrobials, transported to the laboratory, and individually bagged. Each carcass was hand rinsed in 200 mL buffered peptone water in plastic bags for 60 s and a 30 mL aliquot was transferred to a sterile specimen cup containing 30 mL of 2X Bolton’s broth. Following microaerobic incubation at 42°C for 48 h, Campy Cefex plates were streaked and also incubated under the same conditions. Three typical colonies were selected and confirmed to be Campylobacter and tested for susceptibility against a panel of antimicrobials. The entire experiment was replicated nine times. Of the 85 total samples obtained from nine visits (5 samples taken on first visit and 10 on the other 8) to the plant, 28 (32.9%) of these samples were found to be positive for Campylobacter, with a great deal of variation among replications. On four sample dates, no Campylobacter was found; on two visits, all samples were postitive and on the remaining three visits 1/5, 1/10 and 6/10 samples were positive, respectively. Of the 54 Campylobacter isolates 34 (63%) were C. jejuni and 20 (37%) were C. coli. Most (n=48) of the isolates were resistant to only tetracycline. Two C. coli were resistant to ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and tetracycline while 4 C. coli were susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Future work will involve sampling of breeder flocks, hatchery, and grow-out houses in an attempt to further the understanding of Campylobacter ecology in quail production and processing which could also be useful to the broiler industry.