As reported by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Campylobacter continued to be the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen in humans in the European Union (EU) since 2005. The disease is characterized by watery or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and nausea (Blaser et al., 2008). Post-infection complications include peripheral neuropathies, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and functional bowel diseases (Moore et al., 2005). Numerous studies have already emphasized the importance of poultry as a reservoir and source of Campylobacter (Hermans et al., 2012; Sasaki et al., 2013) and broiler meat is considered the main foodborne source of Campylobacter human infection (EFSA 2015; Nadeau et al., 2003; Nielsen et al., 2006; Silva et al., 2011).

In Europe, the mean prevalence of Campylobacter in primary poultry production is very high, up to 70% of broiler batches being contaminated (EFSA 2010). Moreover, the prevalence of Campylobacter on broiler carcasses is much higher at the slaughterhouse due to cross-contamination between infected and non-infected birds, standing at about 75%. A quantitative microbiological risk assessment of campylobacteriosis in Europe demonstrated that controlling Campylobacter in broiler flocks could be highly beneficial to public health because of its impact all along the broiler food chain (slaughter, retail sales and consumption) (Romero-Barrios et al., 2013). Treatments of meat on an industrial scale could even eliminate human campylobacteriosis. However, several of these processes could impact meat quality (Meunier et al., 2015). The current proposal will point out the epidemiology of Campylobacter in the broiler chain and highlight few strategies experimented to reduce Campylobacter prevalence in primary poultry production, and so prevalence of human campylobacteriosis. Three talks are proposed and will be presented by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), a private research center (IMASDE AGROALIMENTARIA), and a public research unit (INRA, UMR 1014 Secalim).

Presentations