Evaluating the Frequency of Arcobacter in Fecal Samples from Slaughterhouse Workers and Poultry Meat Sellers in Arak City

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
A. Karamghoshchi
M. Akbari
M. Arjomandzadegan
M. Arjomandzadegan
A. Ahmadi
Microbiology Department, Infectious Diseases Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
Abstract
Aims: In recent years, Arcobacter has been isolated from various samples. It can cause diseases both in human and animal and be transmitted to human through water, food, and continuous contact with poultry meat. Therefore, people exposed to the contaminated meat such as chicken meat can be exposed to Arcobacter too and as a part of its transmission route. Thus, in this study, the frequency of Arcobacter species was evaluated in slaughterhouse workers and poultry meat sellers and healthy people not exposed to the poultry meat.

Materials & Methods: In the present study, 85 slaughterhouse workers and poultry meat sellers (exposed group) and 85 healthy people with other jobs (non-exposed group) were studied. By simple method, fecal samples were collected from Health Center of Arak city and tested by 4 methods including direct observation, culture, PCR, and m-PCR.

Findings: Campylobacter-like organisms were observed in 32 out of 85 samples from the exposed group and in 11 out of 85 samples from the non-exposed group by microscopic observation method. No sample was positive by culture method. However, by PCR method, the frequency of Arcobacter strains was 20 in the exposed group and 6 in the non-exposed group. According to the m-PCR results, among the 170 samples, 21 A. cryaerophilus and 14 A. butzleri strains were identified.

Conclusion: Chicken carcass are introduced as a main reservoir for Arcobacter; therefore, continuous contact with poultry meat can have a significant effect on the transmission of Arcobacter strains to individuals. Therefore, this study showed that the frequency of Arcobacter strains is more in exposed group than in non-exposed group.

Keywords

1. Ramees TP, Dhama K, Karthik K, Rathore RS, Kumar A, Saminathan M, et al. Arcobacter: an emerging food-borne zoonotic pathogen, its public health concerns and advances in diagnosis and control–a comprehensive review. Veterinary Quarterly. 2017;37(1):136-61.
2. Lau S, Woo P, Teng J, Leung K, Yuen K. Identification by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of Arcobacter butzleri bacteraemia in a patient with acute gangrenous appendicitis. Molecular Pathology. 2002;55(3):182.
3. Jyothsna TS, Rahul K, Ramaprasad E, Sasikala C, Ramana CV. Arcobacter anaerophilus sp. nov., isolated from an estuarine sediment and emended description of the genus Arcobacter. International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology. 2013;63(12):4619-25.
4. Webb AL, Taboada EN, Selinger LB, Boras VF, Inglis GD. Efficacy of wastewater treatment on Arcobacter butzleri density and strain diversity. Water research. 2016;105:291-6.
5. Webb AL, Boras VF, Kruczkiewicz P, Selinger LB, Taboada EN, Inglis GD. Comparative detection and quantification of Arcobacter butzleri in stools from diarrheic and non-diarrheic human beings in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Journal of clinical microbiology. 2016:JCM. 03202-15.
6. Taylor DN, Kiehlbauch JA, Tee W, Pitarangsi C, Echeverria P. Isolation of group 2 aerotolerant Campylobacter species from Thai children with diarrhea. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1991;163(5):1062-7.
7. Van den Abeele A-M, Vogelaers D, Van Hende J, Houf K. Prevalence of Arcobacter species among humans, Belgium, 2008–2013. Emerging infectious diseases. 2014;20(10):1731.
8. Kownhar H, Muthu Shankar E, Rajan R, Vengatesan A, Rao UA. Prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and enteric bacterial pathogens among hospitalized HIV infected versus non-HIV infected patients with diarrhoea in southern India. Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases. 2007;39(10):862-6.
9. Banting GS, Braithwaite S, Scott C, Kim J, Jeon B, Ashbolt N, et al. Evaluation of various Campylobacter-specific qPCR assays for detection and enumeration of Campylobacteraceae in irrigation water and wastewater using a miniaturized MPN-qPCR assay. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2016:AEM. 00077-16.
10. Houf K, Stephan R. Isolation and characterization of the emerging foodborn pathogen Arcobacter from human stool. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 2007;68(2):408-13.
11. Schroeder-Tucker L, Wesley IV, Kiehlbauch JA, Larson DJ, Thomas LA, Erickson GA. Phenotypic and ribosomal RNA characterization of Arcobacter species isolated from porcine aborted fetuses. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 1996;8(2):186-95.
12. Collado L, Kasimir G, Perez U, Bosch A, Pinto R, Saucedo G, et al. Occurrence and diversity of Arcobacter spp. along the Llobregat River catchment, at sewage effluents and in a drinking water treatment plant. Water research. 2010;44(12):3696-702.
13. Hausdorf L, Fröhling A, Schlüter O, Klocke M. Analysis of the bacterial community within carrot wash water. Canadian journal of microbiology. 2011;57(5):447-52.
14. Milesi S. Emerging pathogen Arcobacter spp. in food of animal origin. 2011.
15. Hausdorf L, Neumann M, Bergmann I, Sobiella K, Mundt K, Fröhling A, et al. Occurrence and genetic diversity of Arcobacter spp. in a spinach-processing plant and evaluation of two Arcobacter-specific quantitative PCR assays. Systematic and applied microbiology. 2013;36(4):235-43.
16. Kiehlbauch J, Brenner D, Nicholson M, Baker C, Patton C, Steigerwalt A, et al. Campylobacter butzleri sp. nov. isolated from humans and animals with diarrheal illness. Journal of clinical microbiology. 1991;29(2):376-85.
17. Khoshbakht R, Tabatabaei M, Shirzad Aski H, Seifi S. Occurrence of Arcobacter in Iranian poultry and slaughterhouse samples implicates contamination by processing equipment and procedures. British poultry science. 2014;55(6):732-6.
18. Assanta MA, Roy D, Lemay M-J, Montpetit D. Attachment of Arcobacter butzleri, a new waterborne pathogen, to water distribution pipe surfaces. Journal of food protection. 2002;65(8):1240-7.
19. De Boer E, Tilburg J, Woodward D, Lior H, Johnson W. A selective medium for the isolation of Arcobacter from meats. Letters in applied microbiology. 1996;23(1):64-6.
20. Mushi MF, Paterno L, Tappe D, Deogratius AP, Seni J, Moremi N, et al. Evaluation of detection methods for Campylobacter infections among under-fives in Mwanza City, Tanzania. The Pan African medical journal. 2014;19.
21. Dermani K, Akbari M. Evaluation of detection methods for Arcobacter infections in diarrhea specimens among children under six years in Arak City. Infection, Epidemiology and Microbiology. 2017;3(4):127-31.
22. Gravetter FJ, Forzano L-AB. Research methods for the behavioral sciences: Cengage Learning; 2018.
23. Engberg J, On SL, Harrington CS, Gerner-Smidt P. Prevalence of Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter, Andsutterella spp. in human fecal samples as estimated by a reevaluation of isolation methods for campylobacters. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2000;38(1):286-91.
24. Fera MT, Maugeri TL, Gugliandolo C, La Camera E, Lentini V, Favaloro A, et al. Induction and resuscitation of viable nonculturable Arcobacter butzleri cells. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2008;74(10):3266-8.
25. Van den Abeele A-M, Vogelaers D, Vandamme P, Vanlaere E, Houf K. Filling the gaps in clinical proteomics: a do-it-yourself guide for the identification of the emerging pathogen Arcobacter by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Journal of microbiological methods. 2018;152:92-7.
Infection Epidemiology and Microbiology
Volume 5, Issue 1
January 2019
Pages 25-34