Influence of Season and Refrigerated Storage on Campylobacter SPP. Contamination of Broiler Carcasses

Abstract

The frequency and levels of Campylobacter spp. associated with processed broiler chicken carcasses were monitored quarterly over a two-year period because poultry has been implicated as a significant source of foodborne Campylobacter infections in humans. At three-month intervals, carcasses were collected from a local processing plant which had been in continuous operation for at least 12 hr previously. Ten of these carcasses were monitored initially and ten each were monitored after holding for 1, 3, 7, and 10 days of storage at 4°C. Prior to refrigerated storage, the levels detected on individual carcasses ranged from 0 to over 600,000 CFU of Campylobacter spp. in the 400 carcasses examined during the study. Detection of Campylobacter spp. was lowest after 10 days of storage at 4°C. We observed the lowest frequency of detection in spring and the highest frequency in summer and fall.