Occurrence of Arcobacter in Iranian poultry and slaughterhouse samples implicates contamination by processing equipment and procedures

1. The occurrence of Arcobacter spp. and three pathogenic species of Arcobacter from Iranian poultry carcasses was investigated at different steps of broiler processing to determine critical control points for reducing carcass contamination. 2. Samples were collected from (a) cloaca immediately before processing, (b) different points during processing and (c) at different stations in a processing plant of a slaughterhouse in southern Iran. 3. After enrichment steps in Arcobacter selective broth, DNA of the samples was extracted and three significant pathogen species of Arcobacter were identified based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of 16S rRNA and specific species PCR. 4. Out of a total of 540 samples, 244 (45%) were positive for Arcobacter spp. Arcobacter butzleri was more frequently detected (73%+/- 13.9%) than A. cryaeophilus (9%+/- 13.9%) and A. skirrowii (4.1%). In addition, co-colonisation (A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus) occurred in 13.9% of the positive samples. 5. The results indicate a high prevalence of Arcobacter in the investigated slaughterhouse and broiler carcasses and that Arcobacter is not a normal flora of the broilers. Evidence for the presence of Arcobacter in the environment and water of processing plants suggests that these are sources of contamination of poultry carcasses. In addition, contamination of the poultry carcasses can spread between poultry meats in different parts and processes of the slaughterhouse (pre-scalding to after evisceration).