The impact of primary and secondary processing steps on Campylobacter concentrations on chicken carcasses and portions.

Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly notified foodborne disease in New Zealand and poultry meat is the major source for human infection. Carcasses and portions were sampled from key points along primary and secondary processing chains of three New Zealand poultry processors to determine the impact of processing steps on Campylobacter concentrations. Primary processing reduced Campylobacter concentrations on carcasses by almost 6-log; the biggest reduction was achieved by the spinchill, followed by the scald step.

Using multiple data sources to explore disease transmission risk between commercial poultry, backyard poultry, and wild birds in New Zealand.

The movements of backyard poultry and wild bird populations are known to pose a disease risk to the commercial poultry industry. However, it is often difficult to estimate this risk due to the lack of accurate data on the numbers, locations, and movement patterns of these populations. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the use of three different data sources when investigating disease transmission risk between poultry populations in New Zealand including (1) cross-sectional survey data looking at the movement of goods and services within the commercial poultry industry, (2) backyard poultry sales data from the online auction site TradeMe®, and (3) citizen science data from the wild bird monitoring project eBird.

Genomic Analysis of Fluoroquinolone- and Tetracycline-Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Sequence Type 6964 in Humans and Poultry, New Zealand, 2014-2016.

In 2014, antimicrobial drug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni sequence type 6964 emerged contemporaneously in poultry from 3 supply companies in the North Island of New Zealand and as a major cause of campylobacteriosis in humans in New Zealand. This lineage, not previously identified in New Zealand, was resistant to tetracycline and fluoroquinolones. Genomic analysis revealed divergence into 2 major clades; both clades were associated with human infection, 1 with poultry companies A and B and the other with company C.