Important Steps for Qualitative Risk Assessment of Campylobacter Presence in Poultry Meat in Serbia

The aim of this paper was to answer some questions important for a qualitative risk assessment in poultry production related to Campylobacter. These steps are described: hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment and risk characterization. Hazard identification: Campylobacter is important cause of food borne diseases. Hazard characterization: human campylobacteriosis is assumed to be dose-independent based on some studies on healthy human volunteers. Exposure assessment: Campylobacter colonisation and spread of Campylobacter on poultry carcasses were described. Our results indicate high prvalence of Campylobacter spp. in intestines of poultry, the clinical symptoms of campylobacteriosis usually depends of the age and additional immunosupresive factors, such as Salmonella. According to our experimental results artificial infection of chickens with 6.77 log cfu C. jejuni per chicken on day 21 of life leads to 5.26 log cfu/g feces after 5 days, with slight decrease in next 20 days and return to starting level in next 20 days. According to our experimental results, slaughtering of Campylobacter positive flock appears where 100% birds (with 3.02 log cfu/g feces) is contaminated lids to 50% contaminated carcasses. High prvalence of Campylobacter spp. was also found on poultry carcasses in our slaughterhuoses. Risk characterization: on the basis of the performed examinations it can be concluded that even there is high exposure of human population to Campylobacter from poultry meat; the incidence of human campilobacteriosis is low, mainly because there is a lack of evidence and confirmation of human campylobacteriosis.