Occurrence of <i>Campylobacter</i> in Faeces, Livers and Carcasses of Wild Boars Hunted in Tuscany (Italy) and Evaluation of MALDI-TOF MS for the Identification of <i>Campylobacter</i> Species

oleh: Monika Ziomek, Michał Gondek, Beatrice Torracca, Francesca Marotta, Giuliano Garofolo, Kinga Wieczorek, Katarzyna Michalak, Filippo Fratini, Francesca Pedonese

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-02-01

Deskripsi

A total of 193 wild boars hunted in Tuscany, an Italian region with a high presence of wild ungulates, were examined to assess the occurrence of <i>Campylobacter</i> species in faeces, bile, liver and carcasses, with the aim of clarifying their contribution to human infection through the food chain. <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. were found in 44.56% of the animals, 42.62% of the faecal samples, 18.18% of the carcass samples, 4.81% of the liver tissues and 1.97% of the bile samples. The <i>Campylobacter</i> species genotypically identified were <i>C. coli</i>, <i>C. lanienae</i>, <i>C. jejuni</i> and <i>C. hyointestinalis</i>. The prevalent species transpired to be <i>C. coli</i> and <i>C. lanienae</i>, which were isolated from all the matrices; <i>C. jejuni</i> was present in faeces and liver, while <i>C. hyointestinalis</i> only in faeces. Identification was carried out by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) on 66 out of 100 isolates identified genotypically, and the technique yielded unsatisfactory results in the case of <i>C. lanienae</i>, which is responsible for sporadic human disease cases. The level of <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. contamination of meat and liver underlines the need to provide appropriate food safety information to hunters and consumers.