Recent studies at Bristol University reveal what can be done to reduce the threat of this food-borne pathogen from poultry products on the farm. Campylobacter spp., especially C. jejuni and C. coli, are on top of the list of the most common bacterialcauses of human gastroenteritis in the developed world. Chickens are frequently colonised with Campylobacter spp. although they show no obvious symptoms of disease. Recent surveys in a number of countries have detected campylobacter in a high percentageof fresh retail chickens, and eating poultry products (particularly outside the home) has repeatedly been identified as a risk factor for human infection. In some countries, a reduction in the consumption of fresh chicken was accompanied by a significantdecrease in the number of humans contracting campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter, unlike many salmonella species, are not transmitted vertically from hen to egg, neither do they infect chickens via contaminated feed. As a result, broilers are normally not colonised before they reach at least 2 weeks of age and sometimes remain campylobacter-free throughout their lives.
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