Origin and Prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in Ducks and Duck Meat at the Farm and Processing Plant Level

The epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni colonization in poultry at the farm remains unclear. In this study, over a 6-month period, we evaluated the prevalence and possible ways of transmission of C. jejuni in a duck farm and a processing plant, belonging to the same company. C. jejuni was isolated from fecal ducking samples as early as the 4th day of age while the birds were still on wire. Practically all the birds became positive after the 11th day of age. Based on egg and fecal duckling sample analysis and feeding and water trials with farm and university feed and water, colonization of the birds by C. jejuni did not originate from the hatchery. Central feed and water was not a source of colonization for the ducklings. Wild birds and flies were also excluded as a source because their entrance to the houses was improbable during the first 5 days. Ducklings placed in sterile university brooders, located inside the farm brooder houses away from the other birds and given university feed and water were colonized by the 6th and 7th day. The most probable source of colonization by C. jejuni was the C. jejuni carrier rats and mice found in abundance on the premises. The prevalence of C. jejuni in rat fecal contents was 86.7%, and rat and mice droppings were found in the feeding and watering troughs. In the processing plant, C. jejuni was isolated from 96.7% of feather picker drip water samples. Isolation rates of C. jejuni for the liver, gizzard, heart, and skin samples were 34, 20, 6 and 6.7%, respectively, which are considerably lower than the rates reported for the chickens and turkeys. These lower rates were probably due to passage of the carcasses through two tanks of hot wax after defeathering.