ABSTRACT
Among a plethora of foodborne pathogens, Campylobacter is well recognized as a leading cause of bacterial food-borne diarrheal disease worldwide. Campylobacteriosis is one of the most commonly reported zoonotic diseases with an estimate of 400–500 million diarrheal cases/year in humans. Although campylobacteriosis is the group description of diseases caused by the members of genus Campylobacter, enteritis caused by C. jejuni and C. coli is the only form of main public health significance. Now, it is well established that poultry, chiefly fresh and frozen broiler meat, is the most important reservoir of Campylobacter spp. The clinical spectrum of human campylobacteriosis ranges from a noninflammatory, nonbloody, watery diarrhea to severe inflammatory diarrhea with fever, abdominal pain, and the infection frequently leads to chronic sequelae, such as Guillain–Barré syndrome, Miller Fisher syndrome, and reactive arthritis. The foremost focus of efforts to diminish human campylobacteriosis remains on poultry, 166especially chicken as it is the widely consumed, relatively cheap meat, and is the main source of the disease. Infected broiler birds carry excessive Campylobacter load in their intestinal tract. Therefore, farm-level intervention to prevent or reduce the Campylobacter colonization is crucial in any control policy. Besides hygienic procedures at the farm, control interventions during post-harvest processing can reduce the Campylobacter numbers on the retail or finished product.
