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Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.00161-08
Copyright (c) 2008, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Belgium-Wide Survey Of Campylobacter spp. Contamination In Chicken Meat Preparations: Baseline Data, And Considerations For A Reliable Monitoring Program

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Food Preservation, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Animal Health, Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Industrial Engineering and Technology, University College of West-Flanders, Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 5, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Division of Food Hygiene and Control, High Institute of Public Health (HIPH), Alexandria University, 165 El-Horrya Avenue, Alexandria, Egypt

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: ihab.habib{at}ugent.be.

	Abstract

During the period from February to November 2007, chicken meat preparations (n=656) were sampled from eleven processing companies across Belgium. All samples were tested for Campylobacter by enrichment culture and by direct plating according to standard methods. Almost half (48.02%) of the samples were positive for Campylobacter spp. The mean Campylobacter count was 1.68 log₁₀ CFU/g with a standard deviation of ± 0.64 log₁₀ CFU/g. The study revealed a statistically significant variation in Campylobacter contamination levels between companies; processors with a wider range of frequency distribution of Campylobacter counts provided chicken meat preparations with higher Campylobacter incidence and concentrations. There was no significant difference between various preparation types on the counts of Campylobacter spp. However, Campylobacter count and incidence in chicken wings were the highest, and portioned form products (legs, wings, and breasts) showed a higher probability of being Campylobacter-positive compared to minced form products (sausages, burgers, and minced meat). The proportion of Campylobacter-positive samples was significantly higher in July than in other months. Campylobacter spp. recovery by direct plating was higher (41.0%) when compared to detection after enrichment (24.2%). Statistical modeling of the survey data showed that the likelihood of obtaining a positive result by enrichment culture increases with an increase of Campylobacter concentration in the sample. In the present study, we provide the first enumeration data on Campylobacter contamination in Belgian chicken meat preparations, and proposals for improving Campylobacter monitoring programs are addressed.