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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #155363
Title: PREVALENCE OF ARCOBACTER IN IOWA'S COMMERCIAL TURKEYS AS DETERMINED BY TWO DIFFERENT ISOLATION PROTOCOLS

Author
item ANDERSEN, M - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item WESLEY, IRENE
item TRAMPEL, D - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item MURAOKA, WAYNE
item NESTOR, EMILY
item COATES, E - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item HURD, HOWARD

Submitted to: Research Workers in Animal Diseases Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/9/2003
Publication Date: 11/9/2003
Citation: ANDERSEN, M.M., WESLEY, I.V., TRAMPEL, D.W., MURAOKA, W.T., NESTOR, E.J., COATES, E., HURD, H.S. PREVALENCE OF ARCOBACTER IN IOWA'S COMMERCIAL TURKEYS AS DETERMINED BY TWO DIFFERENT ISOLATION PROTOCOLS. CONFERENCE OF RESEARCH WORKERS IN ANIMAL DISEASES. 2003. ABSTRACT P. 21P.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter and Arcobacter are closely related foodborne pathogens commonly found on turkey carcasses as well as in turkey meat. Both are causative agents of enteritis and diarrhea in humans. Many protocols have been developed to determine the incidence of Arcobacter in livestock and their products, none of which are clearly defined for use in live birds. To determine the best protocol for the isolation as well as the prevalence of Arcobacter in commercial turkeys, four farms under different managements were selected for sampling in summer 2003. Cloacal (n = 298) and feather swabs (n = 50), cecal contents (n = 20), and drinker water samples (n = 26) were evaluated using two different isolation protocols. Multiplex-PCR was used to identify all Arcobacter species and Arcobacter butzleri. The prevalence of Arcobacter detected by cloacal swab (5/298), cecal contents (1/20), and feathers (1/50) suggests that Arcobacter colonization in or on turkeys is at very low levels. The prevalence of Arcobacter butzleri in water on two of the farms was 96.1%. The two protocols were comparable in their detection rates, but the selectivity of the modified Arcobacter agar facilitated the identification of Arcobacter.