A baseline survey of the microbiological quality of chicken portions and carcasses at retail in two Australian states (2005 to 2006)

Campylobacter transfer from naturally contaminated chicken thighs to cutting boards is inversely related to initial load

Foods prepared in the kitchen can become cross-contaminated with Campylobacter by contacting raw products, particularly skinned poultry. We measured the percent transfer rate from naturally contaminated poultry legs purchased in supermarkets. Transfer of Campylobacter from skin (n = 43) and from meat (n = 12) to high-density polyethylene cutting board surfaces was quantitatively assessed after contact times of 1 and 10 min. The percent transfer rate was defined as the ratio between the number of Campylobacter cells counted on the cutting board surface and the initial numbers of Campylobacter naturally present on the skin (i.e., the sum of Campylobacter cells on the skin and board). Qualitative transfer occurred in 60.5% (95% confidence interval, 45.5 to 75.4) of the naturally contaminated legs studied and reached 80.6% (95% confidence interval, 63.0 to 98.2) in the subpopulation of legs that were in contact with the surface for 10 min. The percent transfer rate varied from 5 x 10(-2)% to 35.7% and was observed as being significantly different (Kruskall-Wallis test, P < 0.025) and inversely related to the initial counts on poultry skin. This study provides quantitative data describing the evolution of the proportion of Campylobacter organisms transferred from naturally contaminated poultry under kitchen conditions. We emphasize the linear relationship between the initial load of Campylobacter on the skin and the value of the percent transfer rate. This work confirms the need for modeling transfer as a function of initial load of Campylobacter on leg skin, the weight of poultry pieces, and the duration of contact between the skin and surface.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella serovars in conventional and organic chickens from Louisiana retail stores

In this 1-year survey from October 2006 to September 2007, we isolated and characterized 126 Salmonella isolates from conventionally raised (n=141) and organically raised (n=53) chicken carcasses obtained from 27 retail stores in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Salmonella was isolated from 22% of conventional and from 20.8% of organic chicken samples. Eight Salmonella serovars were identified; predominant ones included Kentucky, Hadar, and Enteritidis. The vast majority of isolates within the same chicken sample possessed the same pulsed-field gel pattern. All Salmonella isolates were susceptible to amikacin, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin; however, decreased susceptibility to quinolones (7.1%) or extended-spectrum cephalosporins (45.2%) was observed. Resistance to multiple antimicrobials (two or more) was found among 52.4% of the Salmonella isolates. Antimicrobial resistance profiles differed greatly among Salmonella serovars and also depended on the type of chicken from which they were recovered. Salmonella Kentucky isolates from organic chicken samples were susceptible to 11 of the antimicrobials tested, whereas those from conventional chickens were only susceptible to 4 antimicrobials. Three Salmonella Kentucky isolates from conventional chickens possessed multidrug resistance phenotype MDR-AmpC. Results of this study provide baseline data on both prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in retail chickens in this region and emphasize the need for implementing effective control measures to reduce Salmonella contamination and the levels of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella in both conventionally and organically raised poultry products. Further studies involving larger sample sizes over time are needed to better monitor and assess the trend of prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility among Salmonella serovars in retail chickens.