Campylobacter Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Campylobacter Blog

The University of Vermont College of Medicine has been chosen as the single participating academic medical center in the nation to collaborate with the Navy Medical Research Center (NMRC) and Denmark-based ACE BioSciences in the development and evaluation of a new vaccine against one of the most common food-borne bacteria, Campylobacter. The first study in this multi-part collaboration is a new clinical trial designed to define the illness caused by this bacterium in healthy volunteers. Information from this work will be used to confirm the effectiveness of a new Campylobacter vaccine.

This Campylobacter research initiative is timely in the face of recent food-borne outbreaks due to similar bacteria, such as salmonella and E. coli. Campylobacter infections account for more than two million cases of food-borne illness and up to 100 deaths in the United States each year, as well as $1.5 to 1.8 billion in lost productivity. Infections from Campylobacter, usually occurring after consumption of inadequately cooked chicken, are frequently the most common cause of food-borne disease in the U.S. This species of bacteria also have a high degree of antibiotic resistance, which has increased the importance of vaccine development to prevent this infection. In the U.S., infections with Campylobacter are most common in young children, travelers, and military personnel, but infection is also extremely common in less developed nations.

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KARACHI: A surveillance study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter in meat, milk and other food commodities in Pakistan. Over a period of 3 years (January 2002-December 2004), a total of 1,636 food samples of meat, milk and other food commodities were procured from three big cities of Pakistan (Faisalabad, Lahore and Islamabad) and were analysed.

The study appeared in the journal Food Microbiology and was conducted by experts at the University of Agriculture, Faislabad.

Among meat samples, the highest prevalence (48 percent) of Campylobacter was recorded in raw chicken meat followed by raw beef (10.9 percent) and raw mutton (5.1 percent). Among other food commodities, the highest prevalence was observed in vegetable/fruit salads (40.9 percent), sandwiches (32 percent), cheese (11 percent) and raw bulk milk samples (10.2 percent). The overall prevalence of Campylobacter was found to be 21.5 percent, out of which 70.6 percent were identi?ed as Campylobacter (C.) jejuni and 29.4 percent as C. coli. The study reported that the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was signi?cantly higher in food commodities which included raw/undercooked ingredients.

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Campylobacter infection is a worldwide public health concern and is the leading cause of enteric illness in many countries. With about 50,000 human cases of illness per year, campylobacter is the most common known cause of food borne infection contracted inUK.

Tougher regulatory standards and more stringent testing cause delays in products hitting the shelves and so processors are constantly searching for faster methods to test food safety.

A new campylobacter testing system, developed by DuPont, can reduce result times from days to hours, compared to traditional methods, the manufacturer claims.

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Oxoid, marketing partner for the DuPont Qualicon Bax system in Europe, Australia and Canada, announces the launch of the new Bax real time PCR assay for Campylobacter

Most current screening procedures for Campylobacter are culture-based, take at least three days for a result and do not differentiate between species without additional investigational work. The new Bax real time campylobacter assay allows:. Differentiation between the pathogenic species C jejuni, C coli and C lari.

Quantification of three campylobacter species.

Same day results for highly contaminated samples (direct protocol).

Next day/two day results for samples requiring enrichment.

Campylobacter infection is a worldwide public health concern and is the leading cause of enteric illness in many countries.

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A graduate student at Yale University has uncovered the answer to how Campylobacter jejuni is able to penetrate intestinal epithelial cells. This research was highlighted in a recent press release:

Yale researchers now have some answers about how the bacterium that is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States enters cells of the gut and avoids detection and destruction, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Diego in December.

While scientists are just beginning to answer basic questions about how Campylobacter jejuni ( campylobacter ) causes infection, Robert Watson, a graduate student in the Section of Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale University School of Medicine worked out a better way to study the bacteria and reported that it takes an uncommon path as it infects cells.

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Chicago's ABC7.com is reporting on a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports that revealed levels of Campylobacter and Salmonella bacterial contamination in raw chicken. Consumer Reports researcher Geoff Martin oversaw the testing.

'We found that only 17 percent of the chicken we tested was free of both salmonella and campylobacter. And overall premium brands were a little more likely to carry salmonella,' said Martin.

The tests revealed an even bigger worry. Often the bacteria were resistant to one or more antibiotics.

'That means if you get sick, some antibiotics might not work,' said Martin.

Consumer Reports also reported on concerns regarding plant testing:

In August 2006, the USDA reported that the rate of positive salmonella tests in broilers had jumped to 16.3 percent in 2005, up from 11.5 percent in 2002. Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, a trade group, said it’s not clear why the rate went up in 2005, but he cited preliminary government data indicating that it has since declined. Cohen of the FSIS added that the agency has begun an initiative aimed at curbing salmonella by focusing on plants that failed the federal standard or had problems meeting it.

The full report can be found at the Consumer Reports Web site here.

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Marilynn Marchione, medical writer for the Associated Press, wrote a recent article on the decline in fooodborne illnesses reported by CDC.  In the article, she points out that federal statistics show that foodborne illnesses are occurring at record-low rates, but

The trend could reverse in coming years if fruit and vegetable growers do not address problems like those that led to the spinach scare, Tauxe and others said."

"The meat and poultry industry has made great strides. The produce industry has a long way to go to catch up," said Michael Doyle, a microbiologist who heads the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety.

Compared with statistics from 1996-1998, CDC's FoodNet tracking system has reported a decrease in nearly every major foodborne illness.  Campylobacter infections are down 30 percent.  The bacterium, which along with Salmonella sickens the most people, usually is found in raw or undercooked poultry or eggs.

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The New Zealand Medical Association released a paper on food-associated Campylobacteriosis  in August, 2006.  It can be found at http://www.nzma.org.nz/news/media-releases/flies.pdf.

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Scientists who look for ways to eliminate foodborne pathogens are up against another obstacle: those pathogens that resist antibiotics. In particular, they want to single out the resistant bacteria for special attention and get rid of them.

That's the focus occupying Ramakrishna Nannapaneni, a Food Safety Consortium researcher in the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture food science department working with Michael Johnson. His team is trying to quantify Campylobacter, a pathogen that contaminates nearly all retail raw broiler chicken carcasses, and its emerging ability to resist an important fluoroquinolone antibiotic known as ciprofloxacin.

Surveys have shown that broilers frequently carry large numbers of Campylobacter in their intestinal contents that spread during further processing onto retail raw products. Campylobacter also can occur in raw milk and water and on raw fruits and vegetables. Proper cooking recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will completely kill Campylobacter present on raw poultry.

The problem is that persons who handle raw poultry contaminated by Campylobacter then handle other foods that receive no cooking before consumption such as fresh salads and lightly cooked vegetables. To aid in such risk assessment, scientists are finding better ways to understand the numbers and virulence properties of Campylobacter and those that resist antibiotics.

To better understand ciprofloxacin antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter, "current methods need to be refined for isolating and quantifying the complete diversity of such strains commonly occurring in raw poultry," Nannapaneni said.

"One of the highest priority research needs on Campylobacter was to develop laboratory methods for quantifying an antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter load persisting on raw poultry products," Nannapaneni said.

While fluoroquinolone antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter was found to be stable and persistent, there is some good news in the situation. A 30-month study in the Arkansas research showed that chickens often had at least minimally detectable levels of Campylobacter, but only a small percentage of carcasses contained high levels of the pathogen. The good news is that of those chickens with the high levels of Campylobacter, the number of them declined over the 30 months.

Up to 60 percent of chicken carcasses sampled during the study contained the Campylobacter that resist the ciprofloxacin antibiotic. And among those with the higher levels of the resistant Campylobacter, there were reductions each year in the percentage of carcasses carrying such high levels, going from 11 percent down to 0.6 percent.

The Arkansas research is significant for being the first time that trends could be determined by quantifying the total numbers of Campylobacter and the antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter found on chicken carcasses. A report of this new method was published in the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Among Campylobacter, almost all infections that cause illness in humans are carried by one species of the bacterium -- Campylobacter jejuni. Scientists want to be able to narrow down on Campylobacter jejuni from total Campylobacter. The current problem is that a methodology for doing so needs more refining.

"We are trying to come up with probes and methods that can separate antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter jejuni load versus total Campylobacter in raw chicken carcass rinses," Nannapaneni said. Developing such strategies is on the research agenda for the Food Safety Consortium for the coming year.

While it is currently impossible to completely eliminate antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter occurrence on raw chicken carcass surfaces or in its juices, the organism can be easily destroyed by proper cooking practices at home.

Source: University of Arkansas, Food Safety Consortium

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May 5, 2006
University of Arkansas, Food Safety Consortium via Newswise

Scientists who look for ways to eliminate foodborne pathogens are up against another obstacle: those pathogens that resist antibiotics. In particular, they want to single out the resistant bacteria for special attention and get rid of them.

That's the focus occupying Ramakrishna Nannapaneni, a Food Safety Consortium researcher in the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture food science department working with Michael Johnson. His team is trying to quantify Campylobacter, a pathogen that contaminates nearly all retail raw broiler chicken carcasses, and its emerging ability to resist an important fluoroquinolone antibiotic known as ciprofloxacin.

Surveys have shown that broilers frequently carry large numbers of Campylobacter in their intestinal contents that spread during further processing onto retail raw products. Campylobacter also can occur in raw milk and water and on raw fruits and vegetables. Proper cooking recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will completely kill Campylobacter present on raw poultry.

The problem is that persons who handle raw poultry contaminated by Campylobacter then handle other foods that receive no cooking before consumption such as fresh salads and lightly cooked vegetables. To aid in such risk assessment, scientists are finding better ways to understand the numbers and virulence properties of Campylobacter and those that resist antibiotics.

To better understand ciprofloxacin antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter, "current methods need to be refined for isolating and quantifying the complete diversity of such strains commonly occurring in raw poultry," Nannapaneni said.

"One of the highest priority research needs on Campylobacter was to develop laboratory methods for quantifying an antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter load persisting on raw poultry products," Nannapaneni said.

While fluoroquinolone antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter was found to be stable and persistent, there is some good news in the situation. A 30-month study in the Arkansas research showed that chickens often had at least minimally detectable levels of Campylobacter, but only a small percentage of carcasses contained high levels of the pathogen. The good news is that of those chickens with the high levels of Campylobacter, the number of them declined over the 30 months.

Up to 60 percent of chicken carcasses sampled during the study contained the Campylobacter that resist the ciprofloxacin antibiotic. And among those with the higher levels of the resistant Campylobacter, there were reductions each year in the percentage of carcasses carrying such high levels, going from 11 percent down to 0.6 percent.

The Arkansas research is significant for being the first time that trends could be determined by quantifying the total numbers of Campylobacter and the antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter found on chicken carcasses. A report of this new method was published in the scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Among Campylobacter, almost all infections that cause illness in humans are carried by one species of the bacterium -- Campylobacter jejuni. Scientists want to be able to narrow down on Campylobacter jejuni from total Campylobacter. The current problem is that a methodology for doing so needs more refining.

"We are trying to come up with probes and methods that can separate antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter jejuni load versus total Campylobacter in raw chicken carcass rinses," Nannapaneni said. Developing such strategies is on the research agenda for the Food Safety Consortium for the coming year.

While it is currently impossible to completely eliminate antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter occurrence on raw chicken carcass surfaces or in its juices, the organism can be easily destroyed by proper cooking practices at home.

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By Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, May 2, 2006 10:44 AM EDT

Avoiding the use of antibiotics in food animals appears to reduce drug resistance in humans, according to a study published online recently in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The study involved the use of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones in Australian poultry.

Australia restricts use of the antibiotics in animal husbandry because the practice is thought to contribute to drug resistance in people who contract bacterial infections from eating contaminated food.

One such infection, Campylobacter, is a leading cause of food-borne illness in industrialized countries.

The study, by researchers at the Australian National University, examined 585 Australians who had Campylobacter infections.

Only 2 percent of these were resistant to the drug ciprofloxacin, a type of fluoroquinolone.

Countries that allow fluoroquinolone use in poultry have resistance rates in humans as high as 29 percent.

After years of debate, the Food and Drug Administration last year banned use of one fluoroquinolone drug in poultry to try to reduce drug resistance in the United States.

"This is a very important study," says Dr. Edward Septimus, an infectious diseases specialist in Billings, Mont. "We've been saying that we have to reduce antibiotic overuse in humans. We also have to remove it from animals."

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28/04/2006 17:08:00
Poultry World

Are happy chickens safe chickens? One researcher believes so, outlining a possible role of bird stress on the number of campylobacter positive flocks.

Speaking at the recent 2006 World Poultry Science Association meeting in York, Tom Humphrey of the University of Bristol revealed new results that show the incidence of campylobacter had fallen from 76% in 1993 to 20% in 2005.

Prof Humphrey believes this reduction is mainly through attention to detail and improved biosecurity, but many questions remain, including why does it peak in summer?

The reason for the peak is unclear and Prof Humphrey questioned whether it was due to stress of higher temperatures or greater airflow bringing more infected flies into the shed.

He then outlined evidence that increased stress gives the pathogen a helping hand in infecting the bird, including Irish research showing a six-fold increase in campylobacter in chickens after transport to the abattoir.

For the full article, see the new relaunched Poultry World.

Author: Richard Allison

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April 26, 2006
Washington Post
Bonnie S. Benwick

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which for decades had recommended that poultry be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees for safe eating, has reevaluated that assessment.

Earlier this month, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service established 165 degrees as the single safe minimum internal temperature to kill food-borne pathogens and viruses in poultry.

The months of commissioned study and testing by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods were not prompted by reports of overcooked white meat but by reported outbreaks of Salmonella bacteria that were traced to partially cooked, frozen poultry products.

At 165 degrees, Salmonella, Campylobacter and avian flu virus were destroyed in cooked poultry. USDA meat and poultry hotline manager Diane Van said last week that 180 degrees had been the poultry cooking temperature standard since at least the early 1980s.

"This is terrific news," said grilling expert and cookbook author Cheryl Jamison, when informed of the change. "We can enjoy chicken again without ending up with dried-out white meat." Jamison and her husband (and co-author) Bill have long advised temperatures of 165 to 170 degrees -- even though their cooking class students are always wary about Salmonella.

"I personally never followed that [USDA] advice," Jamison said.

Apparently the change also will not affect the pop-up thermometers found in the breast meat of roaster chickens and turkeys. They were already set for the "best eating experience" as well as a safety standard of 170 degrees, according to Julie DeYoung at Perdue Farms.

For more information, go to http://www.fsis.USDA.gov http://.

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Wed 19 Apr 2006 05:39 PM CST
VIRGINIA (myDNA News)

Australia's policy of restricting antibiotic use in food-producing animals may be linked with lower levels of drug-resistant bacteria found in its citizens, according to an article in the May 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is a leading bacterial cause of foodborne illness in industrialized countries. Drug resistance can make Campylobacter infections difficult for physicians to treat, and can result in longer bouts of diarrhea and a higher risk of serious or even fatal illness. Bacterial resistance to drugs is generally attributed to inappropriate prescribing or overuse of antibiotics.

An Australian solution to the drug resistance problem has been to prohibit the use of certain antibiotics, called fluoroquinolones, in food animals such as poultry. Such a policy puts Australia in a relatively unique position, since its animal and food production levels are comparable to those of other industrialized nations, but it has avoided using the antibiotics that have been standard in the other countries' food animal production.

To evaluate whether the country's restrictive antibiotic policy has affected bacterial drug resistance, Australian researchers examined C. jejuni isolates collected from 585 patients in five Australian states. None of the patients had received fluoroquinolone treatment within the month prior to becoming ill. The researchers discovered that only 2 percent of the locally acquired Campylobacter isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, a type of fluoroquinolone. Countries that allow fluoroquinolone use in animals may have a drug resistance prevalence of up to 29 percent. Ciprofloxacin can be used to treat severe Campylobacter disease, so a low level of bacterial drug resistance should lead to better treatment efficacy.

"There are different causes that lead to bacterial antibiotic resistance, and use of antibiotics in food animals is only one of the multiple causes," said lead author Leanne Unicomb, an epidemiologist with OzFoodNet and Australia National University. However, the evidence indicates that "use of fluoroquinolones in food animals in other countries has increased the risk of resistance in [Campylobacter] isolates infecting humans," she said. The researchers concluded that the low drug resistance they found "probably reflects Australia's policy of prohibiting fluoroquinolones for animal use."

Other industrialized nations have also realized the apparent benefits of restricting antimicrobial use in animals. Sweden prohibited the use of fluoroquinolones for food animals in 1986, Norway has never licensed their use in food animals, and both countries have reported low trends -- similar to Australia's -- in fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter infecting humans. The United States, in a recent effort to reduce American levels of Campylobacter drug resistance, has taken a cue from other countries' success. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed banning fluoroquinolones in poultry in 2000, but one drugmaker fought the ban until it was finally enacted in September 2005.

Reducing the use of antibiotics in food animals, coupled with the authors' additional recommendation of "sensible use of fluoroquinolones in clinical settings," seem to be steps in the right direction toward curbing harmful foodborne bacterial drug resistance.

This information was provided by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

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Source: scenta
Date Published: April 18, 2006

An Australian policy restricting the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals may be linked with the lower levels of drug-resistant bacteria found in its population, scientists now suggest.

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading bacterial cause of food-borne illness in industrialised countries.

Drug resistance can make Campylobacter infections difficult for physicians to treat, and can result in longer bouts of diarrhoea and a higher risk of serious or even fatal illness.

Individuals who showed a bacterial resistance to curative drugs generally were found to be susceptible to inappropriate prescribing or to overuse antibiotics.

An Australian solution to the drug resistance problem has been to prohibit the use of certain antibiotics, called fluoroquinolones, in food animals such as poultry.

The policy assists Australians by protecting its animals and food production levels against the overuse of antibiotics.

To evaluate whether the country's restrictive antibiotic policy has affected bacterial drug resistance, Australian researchers examined C. jejuni isolates collected from 585 patients in five Australian states.

None of the patients had received fluoroquinolone treatment within the month prior to becoming ill.

The researchers discovered that only two per cent of the locally acquired Campylobacter isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, a type of fluoroquinolone.

Countries that allowed fluoroquinolone use in animals may have a drug resistance prevalence of up to 29 per cent.

Ciprofloxacin can be used to treat severe Campylobacter disease, so a low level of bacterial drug resistance should lead to better treatment efficacy.

Lead author Leanne Unicomb, an epidemiologist with OzFoodNet and Australia National University, said: "There are different causes that lead to bacterial antibiotic resistance, and the use of antibiotics in food animals is only one of the multiple causes.

"However, the evidence indicates that use of fluoroquinolones in food animals in other countries has increased the risk of resistance in [Campylobacter] isolates infecting humans," she added.

The team surmised that the low drug resistance "probably reflected Australia's policy of prohibiting fluoroquinolones for animal use".

Other industrialised nations finding benefit in restricting antibiotics in animal food include Sweden, Norway and the US.

The study was published in the 15 May issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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April 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 4, pp. 768-774(7)
Zheng, Jie et al

Abstract:
The abilities of 34 Campylobacter jejuni and 9 Campylobacter coli isolates recovered from retail meats to adhere to and invade human intestinal epithelial T84 cells were examined and compared with those of a well-characterized human clinical strain, C. jejuni 81-176, to better assess the pathogenic potential of these meat isolates. The meat isolates exhibited a wide range of adherence and invasion abilities; a few of the isolates adhered to and invaded T84 cells almost as well as did C. jejuni 81-176. There was a significant correlation between the adherence ability and the invasion ability of the Campylobacter isolates. The presence of eight putative virulence genes in these Campylobacter isolates that are potentially responsible for adherence and invasion or that encode cytolethal distending toxin was determined using PCR. All Campylobacter isolates possessed flaA, cadF, pldA, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC, and most (91%) also contained the ciaB gene. However, the virB11 gene, carried by virulence plasmid pVir, was absent in almost all the Campylobacter isolates. Our findings indicated that C. jejuni and C. coli present in retail meat were diverse in their ability to adhere to and invade human intestinal epithelial cells and that the putative virulence genes were widespread among the Campylobacter isolates. Thus, despite of the presence of the putative virulence genes, only some but not all Campylobacter strains isolated from retail meat can effectively invade human intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

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April 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 4, pp. 762-767(6)
Zhao, Tong and Doyle, Michael P.

Abstract:
Eight chemicals, including glycerol monolaurate, hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, lactic acid, sodium benzoate, sodium chlorate, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide, were tested individually or in combination for their ability to inactivate Campylobacter jejuni at 4 degrees C in suspension. Results showed that treatment for up to 20 min with 0.01% glycerol monolaurate, 0.1% sodium benzoate, 50 or 100 mM sodium chlorate, or 1% lactic acid did not substantially (<0.5 log CFU/ml) reduce C. jejuni populations but that 0.1 and 0.2% hydrogen peroxide for 20 min reduced C. jejuni populations by ca. 2.0 and 4.5 log CFU/ml, respectively. By contrast, treatments with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% acetic acid, 25, 50, and 100 mM sodium carbonate, and 0.05 and 0.1 N sodium hydroxide reduced C. jejuni populations by 5 log CFU/ml within 2 min. A combination of 0.5% acetic acid plus 0.05% potassium sorbate or 0.5% acetic acid plus 0.05% sodium benzoate reduced C. jejuni populations by 5 log CFU/ml within 1 min; however, substituting 0.5% lactic acid for 0.5% acetic acid was not effective, with a reduction of C. jejuni of 0.5 log CFU/ml. A combination of acidic calcium sulfate, lactic acid, ethanol, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and polypropylene glycol (ACS-LA) also reduced C. jejuni in suspension by 5 log CFU/ml within 1 min. All chemicals or chemical combinations for which there was a 5-log/ml reduction of C. jejuni in suspension were further evaluated for C. jejuni inactivation on chicken wings. Treatments at 4 degrees C of 2% acetic acid, 100 mM sodium carbonate, or 0.1 N sodium hydroxide for up to 45 s reduced C. jejuni populations by ca. 1.4, 1.6, or 3.5 log CFU/g, respectively. Treatment with ACSLA at 4 degrees C for 15 s reduced C. jejuni by 5 log CFU/g to an undetectable level. The ACS-LA treatment was highly effective in chilled water at killing C. jejuni on chicken and, if recycled, may be a useful treatment in chill water tanks for poultry processors to reduce campylobacters on poultry skin after slaughter.

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April 2006
Journal of Food Protection, Volume 69, Number 4, pp. 729-738(10)
Ahlborn, Gene; Sheldon, Brian W.

Abstract:
The biological activity (D-value determination) of eggshell membrane (ESM) was examined to determine the membrane components and mechanisms responsible for antibacterial activity. Biological and enzymatic activities (i.e., β-N-acetylglucosaminidase [β-NAGase], lysozyme, and ovotransferrin) of ESM denatured with trypsin, lipases, or heat were compared with those of untreated ESM. Trypsin-treated ESM lost all biological activity (D-values at 54 degrees C were 5.12 and 5.38 min for immobilized and solubilized trypsin, respectively) but showed no significant loss of enzymatic activities. Treatments with porcine lipase and a lipase cocktail did not impact biological or enzymatic activities. Heat denaturation of ESM (at 80 and 100 degrees C for 15 min) resulted in significant decreases in biological activity (D-values of 3.99 and 4.43 min, respectively) and loss of β-NAGase activity. Lysozyme and ovotransferrin activities remained but were significantly reduced. Purified ESM and hen egg white components (i.e., β-NAGase, lysozyme, and ovotransferrin) were added to Salmonella Typhimurium suspensions (in 0.1% peptone water) at varying concentrations to evaluate their biological activity. D-values at 54 degrees C were 4.50 and 3.68 min for treatment with lysozyme or β-NAGase alone, respectively, and 2.44 min for ovotransferrin but 1.47 min for a combination of all three components (similar to values for ESM). Exposure of Salmonella Typhimurium cells to a mixture of ovotransferrin, lysozyme, and β-NAGase or ESM resulted in significant increases in extracellular concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+. Transmission electron microscopic examination of Salmonella Typhimurium cells treated with a combination of ovotransferrin, lysozyme, and β-NAGase revealed membrane disruption and cell lysis. The findings of this study demonstrate that ovotransferrin, lysozyme, and β-NAGase are the primary components responsible for ESM antibacterial activity. The combination of these proteins and perhaps other ESM components interferes with interactions between bacterial lipopolysaccharides, sensitizing the outer bacterial membrane to the lethal affects of heat and possibly pressure and osmotic stressors.

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Sometimes a solution to a problem can be both easy and difficult, particularly when dealing with foodborne disease. When food is properly cooked and handled, bacterial contamination is not usually an issue. But mistakes can be made, and contaminated foods may accidentally be consumed.

One foodborne pathogen of particular interest is Campylobacter, which may cause mild to severe diarrhea and fever in humans and possibly result in a secondary, neurological condition known as Guillain-BarrÈ Syndrome. Campylobacter is commonly found in the intestinal tracts of swine, cattle, and poultry. It may be deposited onto trucks, trailers, and coops when the animals are transported to processing plants.

"For poultry, washing transport cages with water and disinfectant can certainly reduce the level of Campylobacter, but it isn't very reliable and doesn't completely eliminate the microbe," says microbiologist Mark Berrang, who is in the Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit in Athens, Georgia. He and food technologist Julie Northcutt, of the Poultry Processing Research Unit, evaluated the role of transport coops and carcass defeathering as critical points in Campylobacter contamination of broilers and broiler carcasses.

Berrang, Northcutt, and their colleagues found that feces from a Campylobacter-positive flock can contaminate feathers and skin of a Campylobacter-negative flock if the birds are later placed into the same soiled transport coop.

"We put Campylobacter-free birds in a commercial transport cage that had previously held positive birds," says Northcutt. "The second flock of chickens was held in the transport coop for the same length of time that a commercial processing company would hold them. We tested the second flock after they had been processed through scalding and feather removal and found that they were positive for the pathogen."

Further studies show that storing transport cages for 48 hours between uses lowers numbers of Campylobacter. "Allowing the cages to dry for 48 hours essentially turns chicken feces to dust, dramatically lowering numbers of Campylobacter," says Berrang. "But it's economically and logistically impractical to leave cages dormant for that long. Redesigning the cage to make it easier to clean would be more practical, and we have some experiments planned to test that."

Studies by Berrang and Northcutt revealed that, overall, broiler processing decreases Campylobacter numbers on carcasses, but feather removal (one of the first steps) increases them. Processors then have to work against this jump in numbers through the rest of the process to control the microbe. Berrang, Northcutt, and colleagues determined that the increase is caused by escape of highly contaminated fecal matter from the cloaca (lower gut) during feather removal.

"Manipulation of the carcass by the feather-picking machine causes leakage of fecal matter, which contaminates the carcass," says Berrang. He and others are investigating methods to minimize this source of contamination, including flushing or plugging the cloaca before defeathering.--By Sharon Durham, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.

This research is part of Food Safety, an ARS National Program (#108) described on the World Wide Web at www.nps.ars.usda.gov.

Mark Berrang and Julie Northcutt are at the USDA-ARS Richard B. Russell Research Center, 950 College Station Rd., Athens, GA 30605; phone (706) 546-3551 [Berrang], (706) 546-3592 [Northcutt], fax (706) 546-3633.

"Finding Solutions to Campylobacter in Poultry Production" was published in the February 2006 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

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February 2, 2006
safefood Press Release
www.safefoodonline.com

Recent research, funded by safefood, has indicated a high occurrence of the food poisoning bacterium, Campylobacter in raw poultry, particularly chicken, with 49.9% of retail samples of raw chicken testing positive for the bacterium.

Speaking about the project, Dr Paul Whyte from UCD, lead Researcher, said 'The study was carried out to provide all island public health data on Campylobacter. Our research showed that a high proportion of human Campylobacter cases are linked with the handling and consumption of contaminated foodstuffs of animal origin, particularly poultry.

Campylobacter is a common cause of bacterial foodborne infection in many countries including the island of Ireland. Scientists have detected the pathogen in raw poultry produced worldwide'.

Dr Thomas Quigley, Director of Food Science, safefood said, 'The poultry industry has been working closely in partnership with the authorities on the island of Ireland to reduce the levels of Campylobacter. This study shows that the prevalence of the bacterium on raw poultry remains high. We know that during the handling and preparation of foods in the domestic kitchen Campylobacter is easily spread, readily contaminating other foods and surfaces.

Traditionally it has been common practice to wash raw poultry under the tap, prior to cooking. But this has been identified as a major risk factor because it increases the potential for the spread of Campylobacter and other bacteria throughout the kitchen, as they are easily transferred through splashes and drips'.

'These research findings further support the advice not to wash poultry before cooking. The presence of Campylobacter is a compelling reason why consumers should place raw chicken straight into the oven and ensure that the meat is cooked thoroughly, until it is piping hot all the way through, the juices run clear and there is no pink meat left. By correctly following this simple advice to ensure proper cooking, consumers can be reassured that the process will destroy any harmful bacteria present, leaving the meat perfectly safe to eat', he continued.

Campylobacter is recognised to be the most common cause of bacterial foodborne illness in humans in many countries, including the island of Ireland. There were over 2,600 cases notified on the island of Ireland in 2004, which was over 3 times the number of Salmonella cases. However, many of those affected do not report it to medical practitioners and as a result, it is widely accepted that significant underreporting occurs. The symptoms of campylobacteriosis, which generally last 2-5 days, include diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and sometimes fever and vomiting.

European scientific experts will meet on the 8th February at a conference in Dublin, organised by Teagasc and funded by the European Commission to discuss the issue of Campylobacter in the food and water chain.

Editor's Notes:

The study using genetic fingerprinting investigated the role of foods and companion animals in the epidemiology of Campylobacter infection in humans on the island of Ireland.

A full copy of *A Comparative Study of Thermophilic Campylobacter Isolates of Clinical, Food and Pet Origin using Genotypic and Antimicrobial Characterisation Techniques can be found at www.safefoodonline.com/safefood/uploads/campylobacterreport.pdf

The research was an all island study conducted by: the Centre for Food Safety and the Department of Large Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin; Queen's University Belfast; Department of Microbiology, National University of Ireland; Public Health Laboratory, Cherry Orchard Hospital; Public Health Laboratory, Belfast City Hospital and the Department of Bacteriology, University College Hospital, Galway

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November 28, 2005
Meatingplace.com
Ann Bagel

Bacteriocins -- proteins produced by bacteria -- can reduce campylobacter in chicken intestines to nearly undetectable levels, according to a study published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.

The research was led by microbiologist Norman Stern of the USDA Agricultural Research Center in Athens, Ga., and Edward Svetoch of the Russian Federation State Research Center for Applied Microbiology in Obolensk.

Tens of thousands of bacterial isolates from poultry production environments were evaluated in the study. Several were found to have anti-campylobacter activity -- namely Bacillus circulans and Paenibacillus ploymyxa.

Stern has received a patent on the uses for bacteriocins, and he and his colleagues have enhanced bacteriocin production so that it is more attractive for industrial testing.

The study, which is ongoing, is being funded and coordinated by the U.S. Department of State, the International Science and Technology Center and the ARS Office of International Research Programs.

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Bruce Seal, research leader for the ARS Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit in Athens, is directing his group in the area of reducing foodborne bacterial pathogens like Campylobacter and Salmonella. These organisms can potentially sicken people who eat undercooked or cross-contaminated food. The scientists are continuing work spearheaded by ARS microbiologist Norman Stern, who was awarded two patent applications relating to bacteriocins, low-molecular-weight polypeptides that kill competing organisms. Stern was the first ARS researcher to travel to Russia for scientific collaboration under the OIRP-led program.

Bacteriocins were purified and tested on broiler chickens challenged and colonized with either Salmonella or Campylobacter, but Stern focused his endeavors on Campylobacter. The work was completed in collaboration with Edward Svetoch, a Russian Federation scientist at the State Research Center for Applied Microbiology in Obolensk.

Svetoch and Stern evaluated tens of thousands of bacterial isolates from poultry-production environments. They have found anti-Campylobacter activity in several organisms and have published their findings on Bacilluscirculans and Paenibacilluspolymyxa.

To find the promising bacteriocins, Stern, Svetoch, and colleagues started by examining more than 25,000 bacterial isolates, narrowed the focus to 365 isolates, and found a few that combat Campylobacter. Dozens of bacteriocins are still being analyzed for efficacy against Campylobacter. As a result of this research, Stern and his fellow researchers have applied for several patents.

"This work has confirmed that bacteriocins can reduce Campylobacter to nearly undetectable levels in the intestines of chickens, and that means less human exposure to this pathogen," says Stern.

"Recently, we have successfully enhanced production of bacteriocins, which will make it much more attractive for industrial testing. There has been substantial interest by industry to license the technology. The work we've done with bacteriocins suggests they might someday be used as an alternative to antibiotics.

"A lot of work has been done in 5 years, and we hope that bacteriocins can be widely used in the poultry industry and then expanded to domestic animals."

Stern emphasizes that the research was a collaborative effort. "Our Russian counterparts provided a great deal of support by employing 24 scientists to generate and compile data for this work."

The team's research proved to be the entrÈe to more collaborative work. For example, food technologist Eric Line and microbiologist Greg Siragusa, at the Richard B. Russell Research Center in Athens, are also funded to expand research with Russian Federation collaborators.

International Partnership for Poultry Safety

Poultry science is, as is all agriculture, a global enterprise. So ARS scientists in Athens, Georgia, have launched a host of collaborations with scientists from the former Soviet Union to further advance research in food safety and health of poultry.

Scientific organizations from the former Soviet Union involved in this and other collaborative endeavors with the United States previously conducted biological weapons research. Through funding and coordination by the Department of State, the Moscow-based International Science and Technology Center (ISTC), and ARS's Office of International Research Programs (OIRP), several teams are collaborating with their Russian Federation and Kazakhstan counterparts on various projects, including one to develop and assess bacteriocins to combat Campylobacter and Salmonella, one to address the global issue of avian influenza, and another to characterize new avian influenza and Newcastle disease virus isolates and develop vaccines by using new techniques.

The full article can be found at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov05/poultry1105.htm

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November 1, 2005

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Volume 102, Number 44, 16043-16048

Olivia L. Champion *, Michael W. Gaunt *, Ozan Gundogdu *, Abdi Elmi *, Adam A. Witney {dagger}, Jason Hinds {dagger}, Nick Dorr

Published: 01.nov.05

*Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom; and {dagger}Bacterial Microarray Group, Medical Microbiology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, St. George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, United Kingdom

Edited by Stanley Falkow, Stanford University, Stanford, CA and approved September 12, 2005 (received for review May 12, 2005)

Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, but traditional typing methods are unable to discriminate strains from different sources that cause disease in humans. We report the use of genomotyping (whole-genome comparisons of microbes using DNA microarrays) combined with Bayesian-based algorithms to model the phylogeny of this major food-borne pathogen. In this study 111 C. jejuni strains were examined by genomotyping isolates from humans with a spectrum of C. jejuni-associated disease (70 strains), chickens (17 strains), bovines (13 strains), ovines (5 strains), and the environment (6 strains). From these data, the Bayesian phylogeny of the isolates revealed two distinct clades unequivocally supported by Bayesian probabilities (P = 1); a livestock clade comprising 31/35 (88.6%) of the livestock isolates and a "nonlivestock" clade comprising further clades of environmental isolates. Several genes were identified as characteristic of strains in the livestock clade. The most prominent was a cluster of six genes (cj1321 to cj1326) within the flagellin glycosylation locus, which were confirmed by PCR analysis as genetic markers in six additional chicken-associated strains. Surprisingly these studies show that the majority (39/70, 55.7%) of C. jejuni human isolates were found in the nonlivestock clade, suggesting that most C. jejuni infections may be from nonlivestock (and possibly nonagricultural) sources. This study has provided insight into a previously unidentified reservoir of C. jejuni infection that may have implications in disease-control strategies. The comparative phylogenomics approach described provides a robust methodological prototype that should be applicable to other microbes.

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10/17/2005

PNAS Online Early Edition

Scientists have traced the origins of Campylobacter jejuni, a food-borne microbe responsible for the majority of bacterial gastroenteritis cases worldwide.

Article #03252: "Comparative phylogenomics of the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni reveals genetic markers predictive of infection source" by Olivia L. Champion, Michael W. Gaunt, Ozan Gundogdu, Abdi Elmi, Adam A. Witney, Jason Hinds, Nick Dorrell, and Brendan W. Wren

PNAS Online Early Edition Scientists have traced the origins of Campylobacter jejuni, a food-borne microbe responsible for the majority of bacterial gastroenteritis cases worldwide.

Article #03252: "Comparative phylogenomics of the food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni reveals genetic markers predictive of infection source" by Olivia L. Champion, Michael W. Gaunt, Ozan Gundogdu, Abdi Elmi, Adam A. Witney, Jason Hinds, Nick Dorrell, and Brendan W. Wren

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August, 2005
Journal of Food Protection: Volume 68, Number 8
Page 1600-1605

Marianne Sandberg,a Merete Hofshagen,b ÿyvin ÿstensvik,a Eystein Skjerve,a and Giles Innocent c

aNorwegian School of Veterinary Science, P.O. Box 8146 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway

bThe Norwegian Zoonosis Centre, P.O. Box 8156 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway
cComparative Epidemiology and Informatics, Division of Animal Production and Public Health, University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 IQH UK, Scotland

ABSTRACT

In the Norwegian Action Plan against Campylobacter in broilers, carcasses from flocks identified as positive before slaughter are either heat treated or frozen for 5 weeks to reduce the number of Campylobacter. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of freezing time and predict the number of Campylobacter on naturally infected or contaminated broiler carcasses following freezing for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 21, 35, and 120 days by nonparametric and parametric linear statistical models. From each of the five flocks, 27 carcasses were sampled. Each carcass was cut in two pieces along the chest bone. Half was put into the freezer (-20 degrees C), whereas the other was deskinned and quantitative culturing was conducted from a 10-g sample of the skin. Fifteen frozen halves were selected at random at each time point following freezing from 2 to 120 days, and skin samples from these were cultured quantitatively and qualitatively. In regard to the log reduction of Campylobacter, almost similar results were obtained using three statistical methods; median regression on the change in Campylobacter counts, zero-inflated negative binomial regression, and a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (decay) model on original counts. Overall, a 2-log reduction of Campylobacter was obtained after 3 weeks of freezing. Only a marginal extra effect was oBSErved when extending the freezing to 5 weeks. Although freezing appears to be an efficient way to reduce the level of Campylobacter on broiler carcasses, in 80% of the carcasses Campylobacter could still be detected using quantitative culturing following 120 days of freezing. Based on the high number of zeros, these data should be modeled by a zero-inflated model. The best statistical fit in regard to goodness-of-fit measures was the zero-inflated negative binomial log link model, closely followed by the Poisson model. Thus, in our continued search for a better way to describe the data, we used the Poisson distribution in the mixed Bayesian decay models.

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July 21, 2005 12:31 PM US Eastern Timezone

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 2005--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c21227) has announced the addition of Understanding Pathogen Behaviour: Virulence, Stress Response and Resistance to their offering

Pathogens respond dynamically to their environment. Understanding their behaviour is critical both because of evidence of increased resistance to established sanitation and preservation techniques, and because of the increased use of minimal processing technologies which are more vulnerable to the development of resistance. "Understanding Pathogen Behaviour" summarises the wealth of recent research and its implications for the food industry.

After two introductory chapters on ways of analysing and modelling pathogens, Part 1 summarises current research on what determines pathogenicity, stress response, adaptation and resistance. Part 2 reviews the behaviour of particular pathogens, reviewing virulence, stress response and resistance mechanisms in such pathogens as Salmonella, E.coli and Campylobacter. The final part of the book assesses how pathogens react and adapt to particular stresses from heat treatment and the effects of low temperature to the use of disinfectants and sanitisers.

With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, "Understanding Pathogen Behaviour" will be a standard reference for the food industry in ensuring food safety.

About the editor

Mansel Griffiths is Professor of Food Science at Guelph University and Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety. He has an international reputation for his work on the microbiological safety of food.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c21227

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Breaking News on Supplements & Nutrition in the USA

6/15/2005- New technology could soon make it cheap and easy to identify food pathogens by tagging them with color-coded probes made out of synthetic tree-shaped DNA.

These tiny "nanobarcodes" fluoresce under ultraviolet light in a combination of colors that can then be read by a computer scanner or observed with a fluorescent light microscope.

The Cornell University research group behind the project likens the technology to a supermarket checkout computer, capable of identifying thousands of different items by scanning barcodes.

"We wanted something that could be done with inexpensive, readily available equipment," said Dan Luo, Cornell University assistant professor of biological engineering. He points out that other methods of identifying biological molecules currently available mostly involve expensive equipment.

The researchers have already tested their system using samples containing various combinations of E. coli and tularemia bacteria, and have found the color codes could clearly distinguish several different pathogens simultaneously.

The technology is similar to a new DNA-based test developed by the ARS (Agricultural Research Center) that makes it possible for the first time to simultaneously identify all of the major head blight pathogens in corn and predict their toxin profiles. At least 16 species of Fusarium can cause head blight, a disease that can reduce yields and contaminate cereals with toxins that can make grain unsafe for food or feed.

The new ARS scientists devised a test that pinpoints nucleotide variations that genetically distinguish one head blight species from another. When a probe matches the DNA in a head blight sample, the DNA is fluorescently labeled and detected using a special camera and a high-power laser, providing unambiguous identification of the head blight pathogen and its toxin potential.

Such developments are making food safer, a fact that is reflected in recent US government safety figures. From 1996 to 2004, the incidence of E. coli O157 infections decreased 42 percent, campylobacter infections fell 31 percent, cryptosporidium dropped 40 percent, and yersinia decreased 45 percent.

"Many [firms] have applied new technologies to reduce or eliminate pathogens and have increased their testing to ensure the effectiveness of control measures," claims the government report.

The development is also testament to the growing importance of nanotechnology in food safety. This emerging new science, which involves the use of materials the size of millionths of a millimetre, has opened new possibilities in monitoring never before imagined, and this latest discovery has the potential to dramatically increase food safety at every stage of the supply chain.

Food safety and the development of early warning systems is a growing area of study given the emphasis on food safety and the perceived threat of terrorism. This is a point emphasised by the Cornell University researchers, who suggest that their nanobarcode technology could also be used in genomic research, clinical diagnosis, drug testing and even monitoring for biological terrorism.

The research is described in a paper, "DNA fluorescence nanobarcodes for multiplexed pathogen detections," that will be published in the July 2005 issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology.

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By Sharon Durham
May 23, 2005

Reducing the pathogenic bacterium Campylobacter on poultry farms and in processing plants begins with finding its sources, one of which is the birds' lungs, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report.

Microbiologists Mark Berrang and Richard Meinersmann and animal physiologist Richard J. Buhr at the ARS Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center in Athens, Ga., studied Campylobacter before and after chicken carcasses were scalded to remove feathers, an integral step in poultry processing.

Bacteria can contaminate live chickens during production or transport, or carcasses during scalding. In either case, Campylobacter would contaminate respiratory air sacs and could then contaminate the abdominal cavity.

In a commercial processing plant, researchers collected 10 carcasses on each of three days, before and after scalding. They rinsed the entire carcasses and respiratory tracts and took samples for Campylobacter, E. coli and other bacteria. The results showed the same type of Campylobacter were in the carcass and respiratory tract samples.

Also, the number and type of Campylobacter in the respiratory tracts remained the same before and after scalding. This suggests the respiratory tract is an important source of Campylobacter contamination in the interior of the carcass before scalding. According to Berrang and colleagues, the airborne bacteria could be inhaled by the live birds during production or transport, meaning significant levels of the bacteria were already in their respiratory tracts before processing.

ARS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.

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Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria is an emerging and increasing threat to human health. Physicians should be aware that antimicrobial resistance is increasing in foodborne pathogens and that patients who are prescribed antibiotics are at increased risk for acquiring antimicrobial resistant foodborne infections. In addition, "[i]increased frequency of treatment failures for acute illiness and increased severity of infection may be manifested by prolonged duration of illness, increased frequency of bloodstream infections, increased hospitalization or increased mortality."[1]

The use of antimicrobial agents in the feed of food animals is estimated by the FDA to be over 100 million pounds per year. Estimates range from 36% to 70% of all antibiotics produced in the United Sates are used in a food animal feed or in prophylactic treatment to prevent animal disease. The use in of antibiotics is thought to promote growth and to prevent disease on in beef, pig, turkey and chicken production as well as fish farms and some fruit and vegetable farming.[2]

According to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), Campylobacter has been recovered from 47% of chicken breasts tested in recent studies. 15% of the Campylobacter jejuni and 9% of Campylobacter Coli isolated were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 20% of Campylobacter Coli were resistant to erythromycin. In a case-control study of fluoroquinolone-resistent Campylobacter infections, domestically (within the US) acquired infections were ten times more likely to have eaten poultry at a commercial establishment. The FDA recently concluded that thousands of people each year acquire Campylobacter infections that are resistant to fluoroquinolones.[3] Many of these illnesses are likely tied to consumption of animals feed antibiotics.

In the same NARMS studies, five mulit-drug resistant strains of Salmonella Newport were recovered from ground beef, ground turkey and pork chops. According to the report, "[a]ntimicrobial resistance among these foodborne bacteria is not uncommon and often associated with the use of antimicrobial agents in food animals."[4] Ceftriaxone-resistant Salmonella has also been reported (Fey et al., 2000). The emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella typhimurium in the United States is another example of a drug-resistant bacteria spreading from animals to humans (Glynn et al., 1998).

The use of antibiotics in feed for food animals, on animals prophylactically to prevent disease, and the use of antibiotics in humans unnessarily must be reduced. European countries have reduced the use of antibiotics in animal feed and have seen a corresponding reduction in antibiotic-resistant illnesses in humans.[5]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Angulo F.J., Nargund V.N., and Chiller T.C., Evidence of an Association Between Use of Anti-microbial Agents in Food Animals and Anti-microbial Resistance Among Bacteria Isolated from Humans and the Human Health Consequences of Such Resistance (2004)

[2] www.oph.dhh.state.la.us/infectiousdisease/antibiosensitivity

[3] Anderson A.D., Nelson M., Baker N.L., Rossiter S., Angulo F.J., Public health consequences of use of antimicrobial agents in agriculture. Risk Management Strategies: Monitoring and Surveillance 2002

[4] Stevenson J.E., White D.G., Torpey III D.J., Craig A.S., Smith K.E., Park M.M., Pascucilla M.A., Anderson A.D., and the NARMS Working Group. Enhanced Surveillance for Antimicrobial Resistance Among Enteric Bacteria: NARMS Retail Food Study. International Conference of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Atlanta, GA, March (2002).

[5] Angulo F.J., Baker N.L., Olsen S.J., Anderson A., Barrett T.J., Antimicrobal Use in Agriculture: Controlling the Transfer of Antimicrobal Resistance to Humans (2004).

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Amy L. Becker Staff Writer

Apr 1, 2005 (CIDRAP News) -- A study of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter levels on retail chicken products suggests that the pathogen lingers in chickens long after antibiotic use among the birds is stopped.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found that sizable percentages of retail chicken samples from two large companies had antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter on them even though the companies had stopped treating their flocks with the antibiotic in question a year earlier.

In addition, the researchers found that chicken samples from those two companies were more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter on them than were samples from two companies that marketed their products as completely antibiotic-free.

The study, which focused on fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant Campylobacter, was published online recently by Environmental Health Perspectives. The research was led by Lance Price, a doctoral candidate and fellow at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for a Livable Future in Baltimore.

Investigators have been finding a link between consumption of FQ-treated poultry and cases of FQ-resistant Campylobacter infection in the United States, the authors note. Researchers have also reported an association between FQ use in poultry barns and the evolution of FQ-resistant bacteria in poultry.

Building on those themes, Price and colleagues selected two large conventional poultry producers that said they had ceased to treat their chickens with FQs, Tyson and Perdue Farms, and two antibiotic-free poultry producers, Bell & Evans and Eberly. They obtained three samples of each of the four brands from the same stores at the same time on seven or eight occasions over a period of 10 weeks. The samples were prepared and tested in identical ways. Researchers used the standard Food and Drug Administration methodology and a modified method that involved FQ-supplemented agar medium to identify resistant strains.

The Campylobacter isolates were confirmed and species were identified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification/restriction protocol. Campylobacter was found on 84% of the samples tested, and when the standard FDA method was used, FQ-resistant strains were detected on 17%. But when the supplemented medium was used, FQ-resistant strains were found on 40% of the samples. In their genetic analysis, the researchers found that 19 of 21 resistant isolates were genetically distinct from the susceptible Campylobacter and would have been missed with the standard methodology.

The researchers report statistically significant differences in the rates of FQ-resistant Campylobacter carriage across the four brands. The rates were as follows: Tyson, 96%; Perdue, 43%; Bell & Evans, 13%; and Eberly, 5%. The difference between the latter two brands was not significant, the report says.

Because of the tight time frame of the study, researchers cautioned, it was limited in part by the inability to measure seasonal changes.

The authors say their findings suggest that previous use of this family of antibiotics can have lingering effects on the presence of Campylobacter in poultry houses. The results call into question the idea that drug-resistant populations quickly become susceptible again when the antimicrobial is withdrawn, the report says.

The study also highlights the importance of disinfecting facilities between flocks, the researchers write. The dirt floors common in many US poultry barns are cleaned only every 2 or 3 years, potentially creating a "long-term reservoir" for FQ-resistant Campylobacter. Likewise, processing plants could be a source of cross-contamination, the report says.

Because antimicrobial therapy can be critical for treating Campylobacter infections in people with weakened immune systems, the article says, FQ-resistant strains magnify the threat to those groups, making it more important to accurately measure those strains and identify factors contributing to their presence.

The FDA proposed withdrawing approval for fluoroquinolone use in poultry production in 2000, but the Bloomberg School of Public Health said in a news release that the effort has been stalled over legal objections from Bayer, which makes one of the drugs.

Tyson Foods has discontinued use of FQs among broiler chickens but still uses them in breeder operations, spokesman Gary Mickelson told CIDRAP News. He commented that the sample used in the study was small and that the researchers detected the presence of the bacteria but did not measure the amount present. He also said the researchers included Campylobacter species that may have a natural resistance to quinolone antibiotics even in the absence of exposure to them.

"We at Tyson Foods stand by the safety of ou