Prevalence and Distribution of Campylobacter spp. on Poultry and Selected Red Meat Carcasses in Poland

Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter laridis are recognized causes of alimentary infections in humans. These infections are most often transmitted by foods of animal origin, with undercooked poultry or unpasteurized milk most frequently implicated as vehicles. There are no data on the prevalence and distribution of Campylobacter spp. on meats in Poland. We assessed 839 poultry, 105 porcine, and 114 bovine carcasses for the qualitative presence of the organism on the freshly processed product. The organisms were found on 80.3% of the chicken, 48.0% of the duck, 38.0% of the goose, and 3.0% of the turkey carcasses examined. The contamination on porcine and bovine carcasses was 2.9 and 0.9%, respectively. In addition, we assessed and determined that modified Campylobacter charcoal differential agar (CCDA) medium was more sensitive and selective than Campylobacter brucella agar plate (Campy-BAP) medium for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from poultry carcasses.