THE CAECA- NICHE SUPPORTING SURVIVAL OF CAMPYLOBACTER SPP. IN COMMERCIALLY REARED BROILER CHICKENS.

The aim of the study was to find out how efficient the feed withdrawal prior to slaughter is in clearing the commercial broilers caeca from campylobacters. It was confirmed for 68.3% of the broiler lots tested, deprived of feed 24 h prior to slaughter to carry C. jejuni in their caeca. The results obtained showed statistically significant differences (p≤0.001) between the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in the birds' caeca and the rearing site, with the main suppliers delivering campylobacter-positive broiler lots significantly more often than the smaller ones. The number of campylobacters inhabiting caeca of fasted broilers prior to slaughter exceeded 107 cfu/g being by one order of magnitude higher in deliveries from large scale breeders. The distances broilers were to cover from rearing site to processing plant (5 to ≤154 km) have no effect on the prevalence and carriage rate of campylobacters in commercial broiler chickens caeca. The dominance and high numbers of C jejuni in the caeca of commercial broilers states, in our opinion, indirect evidence for the caecum to be the environment supporting survival and favoring growth of C jejuni under deprivation of competing microflora. Also the ability of C. jejuni to displace other colonizers confirm the caeca to constitute the main reservoir of C. jejuni in the broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]