[Thermotolerant Campylobacter occurrence in slaughtering animals]

Abstract

The aim of the study was detection and quantification of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in swab samples taken from carcasses of slaughter animals, i.e. poultry, cattle and pig. It has been examined 287 poultry, 176 pork and 114 beef carcass samples. Additionally, 22 poultry carcasses taken directly from slaughter line operation after evisceration were examined on the level of Campylobacter spp. contamination. Among the 287 isolates of Campylobacter spp. from poultry the most frequent was C. jejuni (59.1%), followed by C. coli (34.2%) and C. lari (6.3%). A few isolates strains from pork or beef carcasses were classified as C. coli (3.4%) or C. jejuni (0.9%).