Aerotolerance and Multi-Locus Sequence Typing of <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> Isolated from Commercial Broiler Processing Plants

oleh: Diksha Pokhrel, Hudson T. Thames, Li Zhang, Thu Dinh, M. Wes Schilling, Shecoya White, Reshma Ramachandran, Anuraj T. Sukumaran

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-09-01

Deskripsi

<i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> is one of the leading causes of acute diarrhea in the United States. Despite being a microaerophilic pathogen, <i>C. jejuni</i> continues to endure within the domain of food production, especially in poultry processing. Recent research on aerotolerance indicates that close monitoring of this pathogen is necessary. A total of 40 <i>C. jejuni</i> isolates previously obtained from commercial broiler processing plants were analyzed for aerotolerance and genetic diversity. In addition, the effect of aerotolerance and storage time (days) on the survival of <i>C. jejuni</i> on broiler drumsticks at refrigeration (4 °C) and freezing conditions (−20 °C) was also evaluated. Out of 40 isolates, 25 (62.5%) were aero-sensitive (AS), 10 (25%) were intermediately aerotolerant (IAT), and 5 (12.5%) were hyper aerotolerant (HAT). The isolates belonged to four clonal complexes (CCs) and six sequence types, with the majority of isolates assigned to the CC–353 clonal complex. <i>C. jejuni</i> counts were reduced by 0.40 log CFU/g after 7 days at 4 °C and by 1.50 log CFU/g after 14 days at −20 °C, respectively, irrespective of aerotolerance (<i>p</i> < 0.001). At both refrigeration (<i>p</i> < 0.013) and freezing (<i>p</i> < 0.001), HAT showed greater reductions as compared to AS and IAT. These findings suggest that both refrigeration and freezing reduce <i>C. jejuni</i> counts.