Purpose: These bacteria have been isolated in Costa Rica from commercial poultry samples, so the aim of this research was to determine its isolation frequency from laying hens, broilers, ducks and geese, and to compare two sampling methods, namely cloacal swabs and stool collection.
Methods: Two hundred samples were randomly taken from 25 different farms in the country. De Boer and Houf broths were used as enrichment media; isolation was done using Arcobacter selective medium and membrane filtration using blood agar. Typical colonies were identified using a genus-specific PCR reaction and species identification was made using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) proposed by Douida et al.
Results: Arcobacter was isolated from 22 samples of the 200 samples examined (11%). Of the strains isolated, 15 (55%), 8 (30%) and 4 (15%) were identified as A. butzleri, A. cryareophilus and Arcobacter spp., respectively. Also, there is a statistically significant difference between the isolation frequencies of Arcobacter for the sampling methods evaluated, yielding more isolates when stool collection was performed than when cloacal swabs were used.
Significance: The presence of this emerging pathogen in poultry samples from Costa Rica represents a health risk for human beings as well as for animals, efforts shall be focused in reducing it by introduction and application of good agricultural and manufacturing practices through food chain.