Do the Current Campylobacter Detection Methods in Poultry Carcass Fail To Include Viable But Non-Culturable (VNBC) Cells?

Campylobacter, a microaerophilic, spiral-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium, is a major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Campylobacter genus includes 12 species and C. jejuni and C. coli are the most common isolates and involved in human gastrointestinal infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that C. jejuni causes 2.4 million cases in the United States each year and is the causative agent for 5-14% of overall diarrheal diseases worldwide. Campylobacteriosis with C. jejuni, is characterized by the rapid onset of fever, abdominal cramps, and bloody diarrhea.Sporadic cases are most common and are often associated with handling and consumption of undercooked poultry and poultry products as C. jejuni is part of the normal intestinal flora of chicken. The presence of C. jejuni in processed chicken carcasses offered for retail sale was determined by both conventional bacteriological cultural techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).