The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Salmonella enterica and its most important serovars Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Campylobacter spp. in the broiler meat production chain. Altogether 110 pooled samples were analysed; environment, cloaca, body surface at the farm, then carcass, offal, and packed meat from the slaughterhouse. The combination of redox potential measurement and realtime PCR was used for the detection of the microbes.
At the farm, the first Salmonella positive result came from the water system, then it appeared in most of the samples. In contrast to the absence of Salmonella on the birds’ body surface before transportation, by the end of the processing it had reached 100%, with the only identifiable serovar being S. Infantis (65%). All packed meat samples showed positivity, from which 70% was S. Infantis.
Campylobacter appeared at the farm on the 3rd week and remained significant during the breeding. After the slaughtering process, the contamination was 100% in the carcass, offal, and packaged meat samples.
Our results demonstrated the success of the Salmonella control program, by the low prevalence of S. Typhimurium and Enteritidis.
Alali, W.Q., Gaydashov, R., Petrova, E., Panin, A., Tugarinov, O. … & Doyle, M.P. (2014): Prevalence of Salmonella on retail chicken meat in Russian Federation. J. Food Protect., 75, 1469–1473.
Damjanova, I., Jakab, M., Farkas, T., Mészáros, J., Galántai, Zs. … & Kardos, G. (2011): From farm to fork follow-up of thermotolerant campylobacters throughout the broiler production chain and in human cases in a Hungarian county during a ten-months period. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 150, 95–102.
EFSA (2017): The European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2016. Available at https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.5077 (last accessed 19 March 2019)
Erdősi, O., Szakmár, K., Reichart, O., Székely-Körmöczy, P. & Laczay, P. (2012): Application of the redox potential measurement based rapid method in the microbial hygienic control. Acta Alimentaria, 41, 45–55.
Erdősi, O., Szakmar, K., Reichart, O., Szili, Zs., László, N. … & Laczay, P. (2014): Rapid detection of Salmonella in food by redox-potential measurement based method combined with real-time PCR. Acta Alimentaria, 43, 660–667.
EU (2012): Commission Regulation (EU) No 200/2012 of 8 March 2012 concerning a Union target for the reduction of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium in flocks of broilers, as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance).
Gruntar, I., Biasizzo, M., Kušar, D., Pate, M. & Ocepek M. (2015): Campylobacter jejuni contamination of broiler carcasses: Population dynamics and genetic profiles at slaughterhouse level. Food Microbiol., 50, 97–101.
Guerin, M.T., Sir, C., Sargeant, M.J., Wadell, L., O’Connor, A.M. … & Byrd, J.A. (2010): The change in prevalence of Campylobacter on chicken carcasses during processing: a systematic review. Poultry Sci., 89, 1070–1084.
Guran, H.S., Mann, D. & Alali, W.Q. (2017): Salmonella prevalence associated with chicken parts with and without skin from retail establishments in Atlanta metropolitan area, Georgia. Food Control, 73, 462–467.
Guyard-Nicodème, M., Rivoal, K., Houard, E., Rose, V., Quesne, S. … & Guilier, L. (2015): Prevalence and characterization of Campylobacter jejuni from chicken meat sold in French retail outlets. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 203, 8–14.
Harrison, W.A., Griffith, C.J., Tennant, D. & Peters, A.C. (2001): Incidence of Campylobacter and Salmonella isolated from retail chicken and associated packaging in South Wales. Lett Appl. Microbiol., 33, 450–454.
Huang, J., Zong, Q., Zhao, F., Zhu J. & Jiao, X. (2016): Quantitative surveys of Salmonella and Campylobacter on retail raw chicken in Yangzhou, China. Food Control, 59, 68–73.
Humphrey T. , O’Brien, S. & Madsen, M. (2007): Campylobacters as zoonotic pathogens: A food production perspective. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 117, 237–257.
Kudirkienè, E., Bunevicienè, J., Brøndsted, L., Ingmer, H., Olsen J.E. & Malakauskas, M. (2011): Evidence of broiler meat contamination with post-disinfection strains of Campylobacter jejuni from slaughterhouse. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 145, 116–120.
Malher, X., Simon, M., Charnay V., Des Déserts, R.D., Lehébel, A. & Belloc, C. (2011): Factors associated with carcass contamination by Campylobacter at slaughterhouse in cecal-carrier broilers. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 150, 8–13.
Marin, C., Balash, S. Vega, S. & Lainez, M. (2011): Sources of Salmonella contamination during broiler production in eastern Spain. Prev. Vet. Med., 98, 39–45.
Mazengia, E., Samadpour, M., Hill, H.W., Greeson, K., Tenney, K. & Liao, G. (2014): Prevalence, concentrations, and antibiotic sensitivities of Salmonella serovars in poultry from retail establishments in Seattle, Washington. J. Food Protect., 77, 885–893.
Prachantasena, S., Charununtakorn, P., Muangnoicharoen, S., Hankla, L., Techawal, N. & Luangtongkum, T. (2016): Distribution and genetic profiles of Campylobacter in commercial broiler production from breeder to slaughter in Thailand. PLoS One, 11, 1–16.
Reichart, O., Szakmár, K., Jozwiak, Á., Felföldi, J. & Baranyai, L. (2007): Redox potential measurement as a rapid method for microbiological testing and its validation for coliform determination. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 114, 143–148.
Robinson, D.A. (1981): Infective dose of Campylobacter jejuni in milk. Brit. Med. J., 282, 584.
Sanchez, L.G., Melero, B., Jaime, I., Haanninen, M.L., Rossi, M. & Rovira, J. (2017): Campylobacter jejuni survival in a poultry processing plant environment. Food Microbiol., 65, 185–192.
Suzuki, H. & Yamamoto, S. (2009): Campylobacter contamination in retail poultry meats and by-products in the world: a literature survey. J. Vet. Med. Sci., 71, 255–261.
Stella, S., Soncini, G., Ziino, G., Panebianco, A., Pedonese, F. … & Giaccone, V. (2017): Prevalence and quantification of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in Italian retail poultry meat: Analysis of influencing factors. Food Microbiol., 62, 232–238.
Thakur, S., Zhao, S., McDermott, P.F., Harbottle, H., Abbott, J. … & White, D.G. (2010): Antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and genotypic profile comparison of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from humans and retail meats. Foodborne Pathog. Dis., 7, 835–844.
Thakur, S., Brake, J., Keelara, S., Zou, M. & Susick, E. (2013): Farm and environmental distribution of Campylobacter and Salmonella in broiler flocks. Res. Vet.Sci., 94, 33–42.
Wu, D., Alali, W.Q., Harrison, M.A. & Hofacre, C.L. (2014): Prevalence of Salmonella in neck skin and bone of chickens. J. Food Protect., 77, 1193–1197.