Prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in raw milk and retail raw meats in Northern Ireland.

A 1-year study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in raw milk and retail raw meats on sale in Northern Ireland. Retail raw poultry samples (n = 94), pork samples (n = 101), and beef samples (n = 108) were obtained from supermarkets in Northern Ireland, and raw milk samples (n = 101) were kindly provided by the Milk Research Laboratory, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Belfast, Northern Ireland.

A comparison of three methods for the isolation of Arcobacter spp. from retail raw poultry in Northern Ireland.

Recent evidence suggests that arcobacters, especially Arcobacter butzleri, are potential foodborne pathogens, but standardized detection methods have yet to be established. A study was undertaken to determine which of three isolation methods was the most effective for the isolation of Arcobacter spp. from fresh raw poultry.

Avian reservoirs and zoonotic potential of the emerging human pathogen Helicobacter canadensis.

A polyphasic identification approach was used to investigate the taxonomic position of Campylobacter-like isolates recovered from barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and Canada geese (Branta candensis). Seven strains were selected from a collection of 21 isolates and analyzed by extensive phenotypic testing; four strains were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The results clearly identified the bird isolates as Helicobacter canadensis, recently described as an emerging human pathogen.