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Prevalence of Arcobacter species in market-weight commercial turkeys

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek volume 92, pages 309–317 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The prevalence of Arcobacter in live market weight turkeys was determined for six Midwestern commercial flocks at three intervals. Samples (n = 987) were collected from cloaca, feathers, ceca, crop, drinkers and environmental samples on farms and from carcasses at slaughter. Initially, EMJH-P80 and CVA isolated Arcobacter from 7.1% (40 of 564) of samples, while Arcobacter enrichment broth and selective agar recovered the microbe in 4.7% of samples (23 of 489 samples). Although EMJH-P80 coupled with CVA yielded Arcobacter more frequently, the selectivity of the modified Arcobacter agar enhanced the recognition of Arcobacter colonies. A multiplex PCR was used to identify all Arcobacter species and to differentiate Arcobacter butzleri. The low prevalence of Arcobacter detected in cloacal swab (2.0%, 6 of 298 samples) and cecal contents (2.1%, 3 of 145 samples) suggests that Arcobacter infrequently colonizes the intestinal tract. Despite its low prevalence in live turkeys, Arcobacter spp. were identified in 93% of carcass swabs (139 of 150 samples). The overall prevalence of Arcobacter in drinker water decreased from 67% (31 of 46 samples) in the summer of 2003 to 24.7% (18 of 73 samples) during resampling in the spring of 2004 and was inversely related to the chlorination level.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Wayne T. Muraoka for his scientific input, coordinating media preparation, supervising the laboratory component of this effort, advising on sampling protocols as well as providing limitless technical guidance and support. We thank Mr. Christopher Bouchard for assisting in the sampling and Sharon Franklin for analysis of turkey carcass rinses. The cooperation of the turkey producers who provided access to their flocks and the processing plant was critical to this project. This study was partially funded by the Midwest Poultry Federation and the Merck-Merial Summer Research Program of the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. This paper was presented at the 13th International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Organisms. We appreciate the thoughtful comments offered by the reviewers. Disclaimer: Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Affiliations

  1. Poultry Science Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30605, USA

    Michelle M. E. Andersen

  2. USDA-ARS-National Animal Disease Center, Preharvest Food Safety and Enteric Disease Research Unit, 2300 Dayton Rd., Ames, IA, 50010, USA

    Irene V. Wesley

  3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Emily Nestor

  4. Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Darrell W. Trampel

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  1. Michelle M. E. Andersen
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  2. Irene V. Wesley
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  3. Emily Nestor
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  4. Darrell W. Trampel
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Correspondence to Irene V. Wesley.

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Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Andersen, M.M.E., Wesley, I.V., Nestor, E. et al. Prevalence of Arcobacter species in market-weight commercial turkeys. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 92, 309–317 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-007-9153-7

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Keywords

  • Arcobacter spp.
  • Ceca
  • Environmental sampling
  • Turkeys
  • Water