Campylobacter prevalence in foods from animal origin in Belgium

Material and Methods

• The surveillance plan was designed to detect a contamination rate of 2% in the sample population, with a probability of 95%.

• Several matrixes of pork and poultry were sampled and all samples were investigated two times (sample itself and a dilution of it, see Table 1)

• The analytical method used was a enrichment in Preston broth (48 hours, 42°C), plating of 10µl on mCCDA agar (24-120 hours, 42°C), followed by biochemical (Api Campy) and genetic (PCR multiplex) characterizations .

• Isolates were then tested for resistance to various antibiotics by the MIC method.

Introduction

• Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in term of numbers of reported cases by the Public Health. The determination of the prevalence and the level of contamination is essential for an efficient risk assessment program but all the different species have not the same epidemiology and the preventive measures are probably different.

Results and discussion

This study was financially supported by the Institute of Veterinary Expertise (Public Health).

Campylobacter prevalence in foods from animal origin in Belgium

1 _{Food Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium} 2_{Public Health Institute - Louis Pasteur, Brussels, Belgium}

3_{Food Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Gent, Gent, Belgium} 4_{Medical microbiology, University of Antwerp, Belgium}

5Institute of Veterinary Expertise (Public Health), Brussels, Belgium

Campylobacter is frequently isolated from pork and poultry even from a little

quantity of matrix (Figure 1 and 2) with stable prevalences (Figure 7). In pork, C. coli and C. jejuni represent more than the half of the isolates (Figure 3). In Layers (Figure 4), C. jejuni is isolated in at least 80% of the cases. In broilers (Figure 5), the dominance of C. jejuni is similar to those found in layers. In turkeys, C. jejuni is yet more important with more than 94% (Figure 6).

As shown in Table 2-3, the results of resistance to antibiotics are similar to those obtained in humans.

Sample 250-fold dilution Porks Carcasses (skin) 598 cm2 _{2,4 cm}2

Liver 697 cm2 2,8 cm2 Retail cuts 25g 0,1g Minced meat 25g 0,1g Broilers Carcasses 25g 0,1g Liver 25g 0,1g Boneless breast 25g 0,1g Layers Carcasses (skin) 25g 0,1g Turkeys Carcasses (skin) 25g 0,1g

Table 1: Matrixes and quantities tested.

Table 3: Resistance to antimicrobials of C. coli (in %)

Table 4: Resistance to antimicrobials of C. jejuni (in %)

Conclusion and discussion

•Campylobacter is frequently isolated from pork and poultry.

•Isolated strains belong to same species and have same antibiotic resistance profiles that isolated strains from human. •An advanced analysis of the results is needed in order to precise the sources of human campylobacteriosis.

•The rate and the level of contamination, and thus the risk, is higher in poultry than in pork.

•These results should be used to take preventive measures in order to lower the contamination rate of Campylobacter and the resistance to antibiotics.

•These results should be compare with those of others European countries.

Figure 3: Biotypes from pork samples

Figure 5: Biotypes from broilers samples

Figure 4: Biotypes from layers samples

Bibliography

•Trends and sources of zoonotic agents in animals, feeding stuff, food and man in the European Union in 1996. An evaluation of the trends reports provided for the year 1996 by the Member States to the European Commission according to Art. 5 of the Directive 92/117/EEC.

• Annual report on Zoonoses in Denmark 1998, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark.

•Surveillance des maladies infectieuses par un réseau de laboratoires de microbiologie (1997), Public Health Institute, Belgium. •Campylobacter isolates at the University of Antwerp Hospital, unpublished data.

•Antimicrobial susceptibilities of C. coli and C. jejuni isolated in Sweden: a 10-year follow-up report, E. Sjogren and al., in : Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, Dec 1992, p. 2847-2849. 15,3% 32,9% 9,4% 6,2% 2,0% 2,1% 0,0% 1,4% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Carcasses (n=150, b=26) Lever (n=143, b=24) Retail cuts (n=149, b=23) Minced meat (n=146, b=16) Sample Dilution n= number of samples b= n enterprises

Figure 1: Prevalence in pork

72,6% 74,6% 83,4% 82,3% 86,7% 61,6% 72,5% 19,2% 73,0% 27% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Carcasses (n=146, b=25) Lever (n=142, b=26) Retai l cuts (n=151, n=22) Carcasses (n=141, b=6) Carcasses (m=150, b=1) Sample Dilution n= number of samples b= n enterprises

Broilers Layers Turkeys

Figure 2: Prevalence in poultry

C.jejuni 78,7% C.coli 18,6% Others 1,6% A.cryaerophilus 1,2% C.jejuni 80,2% C.coli 15,8% A.cryaerophilus 4,0% C.jejuni 93% C.coli 7% C.jejuni 26% C.coli 42% C.lari 6% C.upsaliensis 3% A.cryaerophilus14% Autres 9%

Figure 6: Biotypes from turkeys samples

Human*

Pigs Broilers Layers n=27 n=38 n=46 n=25 Erythromycin 11,1 64,9 32,6 20,0 Ampicillin 25,9 13,5 15,2 4,0 Ciprofloxacin 0 27,0 65,2 32,0 Nalidixic acid 29,7 60,9 36,0 Tetracycline 62,2 52,2 24,0 Gentamycin 0 2,7 0 0 * Data 1988-89 from Sw eden (Sjogren, 1992)

** Data 1998

Food**

Human*

Broilers Layers Turkeys n=110 n=271 n=87 n=93 Erythromycin 6,4 5,2 3,4 5,4 Ampicillin 20,9 23,2 17,2 31,2 Ciprofloxacin 0,9 43,2 21,8 34,4 Nalidixic acid 44,6 23,0 44,1 Tetracycline 32,5 21,8 35,5 Gentamycin 0,9 0 0 0 * Data 1988-89 from Sw eden (Sjogren, 1992)

** Data 1998 Food** 71,0% 61,7% 80,8% 91,7% 72,5% 72,6% 74,6% 83,4% 82,3% 86,7% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Carcasses Lever Retail cuts Carcasses Carcasses 1997 1998 m=62 b=7 m=146 b=25 m=60 b=8 m=142 b=26 m=60 b=8 m=151 b=22 m=60 b=5 m=141 b=6 m= number of samples b= n enterprises m=60 b=1 m=150 b=1 Poulet/Braadkip Poule/Soepkip Dinde/Kalkoen

Figure 7: Prevalence of Campylobacter in 1997 and 1998

16,3% 28,3% 2,6% 3,3% 15,3% 32,9% 9,4% 6,2% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Carcasses Lever Retail cuts Minced meat 1997 1998 m=80 b=13 m=150 b=26 m=60 b=9 m=143 b=24 m=39 b=3 m=149 b=23 m=60 b=4 m=146 b=16 m= number of samples b= n enterprises In pork In poultry