Control of Campylobacter in the primary production of Broilers in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Control of Campylobacter in the primary production of Broilers in Denmark

Surveillance and strategies to control Campylobacter in the Danish Broiler production. CRL Campylobacter Workshop, Uppsala 2009 Steen Nordentoft

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Rose Poultry Danpo, Lantmennen

The Broiler production i Denmark

Bornpoultry 210 Farms, 500 Houses 120 mill. Broilers/year

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Major zoonoses in Denmark - human cases

1.000 2.000 3.000 4.000 5.000 6.000

80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 No of human cases

Salmonella Campylobacter Yersinia VTEC Listeria Pigs Table egg

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First initiative against Campylobacter

• 1998-2001: A monitoring program was established:

– All broiler flocks (>4200/year) were sampled by collecting 10 cloacal swabs at slaughter. – Swabs transported by ordinary mail to the laboratory in agar sticks. – Detection method: direct plating on mCCDA, phenotypic identification

• f isolates according to ISO 10272.

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The first results from monitoring Campylobacter in broilers

• Campylobacter jejuni was the most predominant species accounting for

more than 86% of the cases, and C. coli 11% and C. lari 1%.

• Large differences in the prevalence of positive flocks between farms

indicating that factors as management and the local environment could be involved in the colonization of broilers by Campylobacter.

• The results showed, that within one year, more than 45% of the flocks

were positive, but the infection rate showed huge difference with a peek in the summer month (June - September)

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 200 400 600 800 1000 20 40 60 80 100

Human cases Broilers

• No. of human cases

% positive flocks

Source: Statens Serum Institute, and National Veterinary Institute and National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark

Positive flocks and Human cases

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Risk factors for the introduktion of Campylobacter in the broilerflocks

• A study of risk factors was conducted and important factors

in the were identified : – Missing hygiene barrier – Other animals close the farm, or other animal production – Thinning/ batch slaughtering - one week before slaughter – Down period

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Strategies to lower the prevalence of Campylobacter in the Broilers

• In “corporation” with the companies and the farmers, the authorities

forced a 2-way strategy to bring down the number positive flocks, and reduce the quantitative amount in broiler meat. – On the farm actions were taken in order to stop the introduction of Campylobacter into the flock

• Visit by consultants from the slaughter companies
• Improved bio security
• Farmers received higher prices for negative broilers
• Improved cleaning and disinfection procedures between flocks
• Abandoning batch slaughter

– In the laboratory faster methods for the detection was developed

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Development of a PCR Method for detecting Campylobacter in Cloacal Swabs

• Aim was to reduce the time

from sampling to result- result within a day

• Sample: 10 cloacal swabs

taken at slaughter

• Result: 3 hour method based
• n traditional PCR with

comparable sensitivity as culturing

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Detection limit 50-100 cfu/ml faecal solution = 2-400 cfu/g faecal material Corresponds to detection limit for direct culture on mCCDA plates

PCR detection of Campylobacter on feces

Campylobacter Internal control

• +
• +

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Broiler flocks positive for Campylobacter, 1998-2008

500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

• No. of flocks

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 % positive flocks

Positive % Positive

Source: National Veterinary Institute and National Food Institute, Techinical University

• f Denmark

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Frequency of negative samples in individual broiler houses

Data from houses with more than 20 registered samples in the period

• 1. jan 2006- 1. sep 2009.

18 22 23 25 30 31 32 35 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 100 5 10 15 20 25 30

% negative flocks Number of Houses

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Strategies to lower the prevalence of Campylobacter in the Broiler Meat

• Second leg of the strategy

– At the slaughterhouse

• All flocks should be tested for Campylobacter by cloacal swabs
• On the basis of the farms history of delivering negative or

positive broilers the presumed negative flocks should be slaughtered before the positive in order not to avoid cross contamination (Channeling)

• Negative flocks should be used for fresh products, while

positive flocks should be freezed

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RESULT OF THE FIRST INTERVENTIONS

• By focusing on the preharvest level we were able to lower the

frequnce of positive flocks from 45% to >25%.

• However the frequence of positive broiler meat was still too high, as

it was very dificult to predict the status of the flock based on historical data.

New measures needed to be taken in

• rder to predict the true flock status

before slaughter

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Campylobacter socksample

• Each flock is sampled 7-10 days

before slaughter by taking one par

• f socks.
• Socks are made of 10-15 cm

tubegaze, and moistured with water before they at put on the boot

• The farmer walks around in the

house while the socks collects a fecalsample representing the whole flock.

• Socks are then submitted to a

laboratory using standard mail or currier.

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Sock sample ready for analyses

• Socks are diluted in saline, and

purification of DNA and PCR are done as for the cloacal swabs

• The correlation between the

results from the sock-sample and the cloacal swab is on average 0,8.

• The correlation is variable

during the season, and also from farm to farm.

• During summertime the spread
• f Campylobacter within the

flock occurs earlier and faster than during wintertime, making the sock more predictable.

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The correlation between Sock samples and Cloacal svabs

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 jan-06 apr-06 jul-06

• kt-06

jan-07 apr-07 jul-07

• kt-07

jan-08 apr-08 jul-08

• kt-08

jan-09 apr-09 jul-09 % pos socksample % pos cloacalsvab

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Risk factors - Revised

Many farmers in Denmark are able to produce Campylobacter negative broilers, - also even though they do thinning. – However The individual farmers needs motivation to do something – Bad economy – Bad behaviours

• Establishment of a good bio security
• Control of flies
• Quality of external labour
• Keeping buildings up-to-date

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Example of good Biosecurity

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Thank you for your attention