Campylobacter

What you do….

helps reduce the numbers
 Campylobacter
A family of bacteria
found in the intestines
of many animals,
including poultry
The organisms are microscopic
Birds with Campylobacter
do not usually appear sick
Birds with Campylobacter
do not usually appear sick

but the bacteria in

their intestines

are shed in the feces

and

spread rapidly
…..to other birds, the environment,
equipment, vehicles, clothing

and Campylobacter can also contaminate

poultry carcasses during processing.
 If people
FEVER eat poultry products
VOMITING contaminated with
Campylobacter,
it can make them
ABDOMINAL
PAIN sick.
SEVERE
DIARRHEA Some illnesses can be
severe and lead to
hospitalization,
or even death.
 Campylobacter
affects more than

800,000
people each year in
the U.S
 Interventions
on the farm AND at the
processing plant

can reduce bacteria numbers

 Epidemiology of Campylobacter
• Not spread from parents to progeny through
the egg (vertical transmission)
• Rarely detected in birds under 3 weeks of age
• Once a bird is positive after 3 weeks of age,
it can quickly spread the bacteria to other birds;
• In fact, almost all birds in a flock Prevalence
will eventually become positive the percentage of a
population that is affected
(high prevalence) with a particular disease
at a given time
• Spreads from an infected bird
(or its feces) to other birds in the flock
(horizontal transmission)
 Epidemiology
Major sources of Campylobacter on the farm include:
• Hands, clothing or footwear of persons on the farm,
including both workers and visitors.
• Old litter which contains the microorganism.
• Equipment and transport vehicles which are
contaminated from infected birds and feces.
• Rodents, flies and other insects, wildlife species, and
domestic pets (which can serve as disease vectors).
• While feed and water are not major contributors to the initial introduction
of Campylobacter; these sources can contribute to the spread of the
microorganism among individual birds within infected flocks.
 Epidemiology
• Campylobacter infection of poultry is
usually higher…..
• In warm weather and the summer
months, but it does occur year round
–Increases have been linked to
increased populations of vectors
• In organic and free-range flocks than
those reared in conventional production
settings
 Prevalence can vary
between flocks and between farms

Some flocks and

some farms have
consistently low
infection rates
When the Campylobacter
numbers in a particular
flock are very high, it will
be very difficult to prevent
bacteria from
contaminating the meat
during processing.

When the Campylobacter

numbers in a particular
flock are very low, it can be
much easier to prevent
contamination of the meat
in the processing plant.
It is sometimes hard to grasp the concept and reality
of bacterial numbers.
When, the numbers are in the millions or even in the
billions, reducing the bacterial load by a hundred fold
or a thousand fold, or even ten thousand fold will still
be “not enough” to prevent contamination or control
infection.
But, if the bacterial load coming into the processing
plant is reduced to the hundreds or the thousands,
then prevention during processing becomes much
more effective in controlling contamination.
So, it’s “a numbers game!!”
The key to reducing and eliminating Campylobacter is multiple intervention strategies.
Each time a carcass is treated in a way that either physically removes Campylobacter
or chemically kills Campylobacter, the numbers are reduced. By exposing the bacteria
to numerous interventions, it is possible to lower Campylobacter from billions to
hundreds to zero on many carcasses.
 Efforts to reduce Campylobacter from
poultry products…..
starts on the live production side
with interventions to make the bacteria
numbers as low as possible…

which will help make

interventions at the processing plant
more effective.
Interventions

On the Farm
 Interventions
On The Farm
Biosecurity

Water Treatment

Probiotics
Competitive Exclusion
Litter
Management

Vector Control

Feed Withdrawal
 Interventions on the Farm

Strict Biosecurity
Personnel and equipment can spread
bacteria on the farm.

Actions to Take:
• Personnel: wash and sanitize hands, wear dedicated
and clean footwear and use of footbaths
• Vehicles: monitor and control traffic, minimize
visitors and vehicles onto the farm
• Equipment sanitation
• Avoid moving equipment between farms unless it is
thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
 Interventions on the Farm

Water Treatment
Bacteria in the intestine can contaminate
the product during processing.

Actions to Take:
• Water acidification using organic acids can reduce
bacterial counts in the bird’s intestines
– formic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid,
propionic acid
• It also increases the efficacy of chlorination
 Interventions on the Farm

Probiotics-Competitive Exclusion
Campylobacter in the intestines
spreads via feces.

Supplying the intestine with large numbers of beneficial bacteria

can help outcompete pathogens for colonization space in the gut.
Actions to Take:
• Competitive exclusion products
– Complex/Multispecies probiotics
– Defined Single Microorganism probiotics
• Competitive exclusion products have had variable
results
 Interventions on the Farm

Litter Management
Campylobacter in poultry feces can
survive in the environment.

Actions to Take:
• Combination of aluminum sulfate, sodium bisulfite,
and magnesium sulfate
– Reduces litter pH and litter moisture (~50%)
• Effective in preventing chickens from getting
colonized by natural Campylobacter exposure for
up to 6 weeks.
 Interventions on the Farm

Vector Control
Insects or animals can spread bacteria
on the farm.

Actions to Take:
• Keep poultry away from other domestic animals,
including livestock, pets or other poultry.
– Fecal contamination from other animals can
be a major source for Campylobacter
introduction to poultry.
• Implement vector control processes, including
fly, rodent, insect and wildlife control.
 Interventions on the Farm

Feed Withdrawal
Bacteria in the intestine can
contaminate the product during
processing.

The goal of feed withdrawal is to supply the processing plant with

birds that have an empty intestinal tract by the time they are on
the evisceration shackles
Actions to Take:
• The timing of feed withdrawal is critical
• The target is 10-12 hours from feed withdrawal
until the birds hang on the evisceration shackles.
– Catching, loading, transportation and holding time
should be included in the timing
Interventions

at the Processing Plant

The processing plant is an extremely important
place for reducing carcass contamination.

In processing plants, poultry pass through multiple

steps, each representing an opportunity to increase
or decrease Campylobacter prevalence and
concentration.

All plants should evaluate their own processing

protocols to evaluate the effect of each step of
processing to reduce contamination levels (both
prevalence and concentration) of Campylobacter.
 Interventions with potential to Interventions with potential to
lower Campylobacter level increase Campylobacter level

Scalding

Defeathering
Evisceration

Washing

Chilling
 Interventions
At the processing plant
Flock Prevalence

Scalding

Defeathering

Evisceration

Chillers and Post-Chill

Processes

Sanitization and pH
 Interventions at the Processing Plant

Flock Prevalence
Bacteria levels vary with birds
and flocks.

Two different measurements can be taken to evaluate the

level of carcass contamination by Campylobacter:

Percent of positive carcasses Campylobacter concentration

out of 100 processed carcasses how many how much bacteria is there on the
are positive for Campylobacter. This is also carcasses that are positive – is it 100
known as prevalence. organisms or 100 million organisms.
 Interventions at the Processing Plant

Scalding
130oF Campylobacter in the intestines
can contaminate carcasses.

Actions to Take:
• Scalding at temperatures above 130°F kills
Campylobacter
• Scalding can reduce Campylobacter levels 40%
• Countercurrent or multi-tank scalding are
more effective
 Interventions at the Processing Plant

Defeathering
Bacteria in the feces can be on poultry
skin and feathers.

Defeathering is a high risk area for bacterial spread due to

fecal material coming out of cloaca from pressure of the
picker fingers on the abdomen.
Actions to Take:
• There are limited opportunities for intervention
in the defeathering step
• Ensure proper maintenance and sanitization of
feather picking equipment
 Interventions at the Processing Plant

Evisceration and Wash Station

Bacteria in the intestine can

contaminate the product.

Evisceration is a high risk area for bacterial spread.

Actions to Take:
• Use efficient equipment for mechanical
evisceration, especially to remove the crop and
prevent bile soiling
• Avoid cross contamination
• Wash the insides and outsides of carcasses
• Sanitize equipment and area often
 Interventions at the Processing Plant

Chillers and Post-Chill Processes

Contamination can occur during

any processing step.

Actions to Take:
• Post-chill antimicrobial rinses or dips reduce
bacterial numbers
• Counter-current and multi-tank chillers are
more effective
• Water chillers are generally more effective
than air chillers
 Interventions at the Processing Plant

Sanitization and Proper pH

Poor sanitation can impact the level

of contamination.

Actions to Take:
• Scalding water, washing water or chilling water
should all be sanitized
• Monitor and ensure pH and concentration of
sanitizing solution
• Use FDA approved sanitation products
 Summary
• No single step can reduce Campylobacter
contamination completely.
• Targeting high risk steps and combining multiple
strategies can be effective in reaching carcass
decontamination goals.
• Multiple interventions on both the production
side and on the processing side need to be
combined to reduce the percentage and level of
carcass contamination.
Reduce the numbers

Reduce illness

We all play a part

 Acknowledgements
This project was supported by
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant
No. 2012-67005-19614
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture

This presentation was prepared by

the Center for Food Security and Public Health
and Iowa State University Extension.
Authors and Reviewers: Mohamed El-Gazzar, DVM, MAM, PhD, DACPV; Yuko Sato DVM, MS, DACPV;
Orhan Sahin, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVM; Glenda Dvorak DVM, MPH, DACVPM – Iowa State University
College of Veterinary Medicine

For more information visit www.campypoultry.org