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6 . 2015

Evaluation of the role of Campylobacter spp. in the occurrence of foodborne diseases and modern methods to detect the pathogen

Abstract

Infections caused by Campylobacter spp. are now considered to be one of the most important foodborne diseases worldwide, this organism is one of the most epidemiologically significant zoonotic pathogens. Among these pathogens Campylobacter jejuni have the greatest epidemiological importance, they are responsible for 90% of laboratory confirmed cases of food campylobacteriosis.

The frequency of detection of campylobacters in the environmental and on many raw foods, of both plant and animal origin, in normal intestine biota of domestic and wild animal and birds, indicates the prevalence of these bacteria and the high risk of contamination of food and water. The main factors of transmission in sporadic campylobacteriosis are the poultry and poultry products (up to 70% of the total number of cases), water (8%), raw milk (5%). One of the risk factors for the spread of emergent pathogen is its ability to persist in aquatic ecosystems. Continuing changes in landscape and agricultural intensification can cause further enhance microbial contamination of freshwater bodies and groundwater, and the associated increase in the number of cases of waterborne campylobacteriosis. Intensification of agriculture, expanding the range of applied disinfectants and antiseptics, uncontrolled use of antibiotics in livestock often leads to the selection of the sustainable strains of Campylobacter spp., which have antibiotic resistance and multiple virulence determinants.

This paper presents an overview of modern methods for the detection of Campylobacter spp., detailed culture and biochemical methods for the isolation of C. jejuni based on the use of selective culture media and diagnostic kits for the characterization of the phenotypic profiles of the strains. These methods are the starting point in selecting the most effective schemes of food control and surveillance. It is emphasized that the basis of microbiological analysis should be molecular methods based on real-time PCR, which allows to quantify present in foods of thermotolerant Campylobacter, including C. jejuni.

Keywords:Сampylobacter jejuni, food campylobacteriosis , pathogenicity factors, foods, detection methods

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CHIEF EDITOR
CHIEF EDITOR
Viktor A. Tutelyan
Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Scientific Director of the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety (Moscow, Russia)

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