Enteropathogenic bacteria in frozen chicken

Area of Science:

• Food Microbiology
• Food Safety
• Public Health

Background:

• Retail chicken is a potential vehicle for foodborne pathogens.
• Salmonella is a well-known contaminant, but other bacteria may also be present.
• Understanding pathogen prevalence is crucial for food safety interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Salmonella in retail frozen chicken.
• To compare the occurrence of these pathogens.
• To assess if microbial counts correlate with pathogen presence.

Main Methods:

• Bacteriological analysis of 82 frozen chicken samples.
• Isolation and identification of Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Salmonella.
• Determination of aerobic plate counts and coliforms at 37°C.

Main Results:

• Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni detected in 22% of samples.
• Yersinia enterocolitica found in 24.5% of samples, with serotypes 4, 5b, 6, and 8 identified.
• Salmonella typhimurium isolated from only 1.2% of samples.
• No significant difference in aerobic plate counts or coliforms between pathogen-positive and negative samples.

Conclusions:

• Retail chicken can harbor significant levels of Campylobacter and Yersinia enterocolitica, in addition to Salmonella.
• Campylobacter and Yersinia enterocolitica are more frequently isolated from chicken than Salmonella.
• Standard microbial counts do not reliably indicate the presence of these specific pathogens.