Occurrence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in pigs and the assessment of biosecurity measures employed at unorganized pig farms in Thrissur, Kerala
Campylobacter spp. is considered as one of the major causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide. A total of 130 samples including faecal samples (n=40), rectal swabs (n=40) and sewage samples (n=50) were collected from the two unorganized pig farms to study the occurrence of Campylobacter spp. The b...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Director of Academics and Research, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University
2022-12-01
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Series: | Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://jvas.in/public_html/upload/article_file/article_file_rny7yj.pdf?t=rny7yj |
Summary: | Campylobacter spp. is considered as one of the major causes of foodborne illnesses
worldwide. A total of 130 samples including faecal samples (n=40), rectal swabs (n=40) and
sewage samples (n=50) were collected from the two unorganized pig farms to study the occurrence
of Campylobacter spp. The biosecurity measures on the farms were also assessed. An overall
occurrence of 26.15 per cent with a higher rate of isolation from rectal swabs (57.5 per cent) than
faecal and sewage samples (25 per cent and 2 per cent) were observed. The occurrence of C.
coli was found to be 55 per cent, while that of C. jejuni and C. coli was 5 per cent in rectal swabs
collected from Farm A. Campylobacter coli could be isolated only from the sewage sample from
farm B. Direct multiplex PCR screening detected C. coli in 32 per cent and 44 per cent of sewage
samples from farms A and B, respectively. This indicates that the Campylobacter organisms in
sewage samples might have attained viable but not culturable form. In both farms, no effective
biosecurity measures were followed. The lack of biosecurity measures in farms contributes to the
transmission of Campylobacter spp. from the environment to the animals. Farm workers of both the
farms were unaware of hygienic practices and biosecurity measures. Furthermore, little attention
was paid to personal protective measures, which could pose a significant occupational risk of
contracting campylobacteriosis, resulting in complex sequelae. |
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ISSN: | 0971-0701 2582-0605 |