Statistical analysis of prevalence of campylobacter in poultry farms related to weather conditions in Cyprus

Abstract

Campylobacter spp. are now considered to be the leading cause of food borne enteritis worldwide and the most frequently implicated animal host/reservoir of these pathogens is the chicken. Campylobacter spp thrive in moist environment and the most important species implicated in the human campylobacteriosis (C. jejuni, C. coli and C. lari) are thermophilic and are known to contaminate a wide range of warm blooded hosts and can survive in water, meat, soil, faeces, insects etc. therefore has a lot of potential routes of contaminating broilers and infecting humans. Poultry, and more specifically broiler chickens have a metabolic temperature of 42 ºC thus creating an optimal environment for Campylobacter growth and proliferation and since broilers practice coprophagy contamination of the entire flock may happen within a week. The consumption or mishandling of poultry meat is thought to be the main route of human infection. Therefore in order to decrease the rates of infections in humans substantially the main focus should be on decreasing the broiler contamination by increasing biosecurity at rearing level and preventing cross contamination of broiler carcasses at various levels at the processing plants.