Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche ''Togo Rosati''

Authors     Silenzi V, Simoni E, Briscolini S, Dorinzi A, Cucco L, Morelli A, Paniccià M, Fisichella S

Abstract     Campylobacter has been identified as one of the most frequent causes of bacterial foodborne enteric disease, with more than 200,000 confirmed human cases/year (EFSA-ECDC 2015) and 48 cases per 100,000 population in European Union countries. Poultry has been recognised as elective reservoir for the transmission of Campylobacter to humans and, because of the significant impact that Campylobacteriosis has on public health and socio-economic system, the EU has adopted an integrated approach to food safety, involving the entire chain, from 'farm to fork'. In fact, in 2008 a reference survey was carried out at slaughterhouse level to compare prevalence and levels of contamination by Campylobacter spp. in batches and carcasses of broilers in the European Union (EFSA JOURNAL 2010). This was followed by EFSA's 2010 and 2011 opinions which led the European Commission to set up a process hygiene criterion for Campylobacter spp. in the carcasses of broilers. This criterion for Campylobacter follows the same test approach of the criterion established for Salmonella, that is with the use of the same samples of neck skin, as described in Regulation (EU) 2017/1495 of the Commission of 23 August 2017 that modifies the Regulation (EC) n. 2073/2005 and which have been applied since 1/01/2018. Given the new legislation and the fact that scientific studies have shown that the risk related to chicken meat is strongly associated with the high charges of Campylobacter spp. rather than its dissemination (EFSA, 2009; EFSA, 2011; Nauta et al., 2009), the purpose of the study, carried out by the Laboratory of Diagnostics of the "Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale - Togo Rosati" of Umbria and Marche Region - Seat of Fermo City (Italy), in the year 2017, was a quantitative approach to monitoring Campylobacter spp. in broilers at slaughterhouse and its molecular typing. The most representative poultry slaughterhouse of the Marche Region was chosen as the place of collection, where, during the year, caecal content, skin of the neck and skin of the breast of broiler chickens were taken from each batch. These samples were subjected to Campylobacter spp. counts and, during the year 2018, the isolates obtained have been tested for species identification by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (Wang et al., 2002) and collected with appropriate labelling. These isolates have been stored in microbank at -80°C and sent, after registration on the information system of the ZSAM Institute (http://sorveglianza.izs.it/seap/) , to the National Campylobacter Reference Laboratory (IZSAM - Teramo city, Italy) on sterile swabs inserted into a tube of Amies transport medium with charcoal (Oxoid). The collaboration with the National Campylobacter Reference Laboratory (IZSAM - Teramo) enables us to make molecular typing and phylogenetic analysis by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) and to study the antimicrobial resistance (Minimum inhibitory concentration - MIC).

Publish Date    2019

Volume   112

ISSN    1592-1581

DOI    no

URL    https://spvet.it/archivio/numero-112/693.html

Journal    Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria

Pages   no

PMID   no