PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF CAMPYLOBACTER SPP. COLONIZATION IN BROILER FARMS OF MUNSHIGONJ, NARAYANGANJ AND NARSINGDI DISTRICTS IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

Poultry origin zoonotic Campylobacter spp. is considered as one of the leading causal agents of human foodborne illness. A cross-sectional study (October 2020 to January 2021) was conducted to estimate the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. colonization and its associated risk factors in the broiler farms of Munshigonj, Narayanganj and Narsingdi Districts in Bangladesh. Cloacal swab samples were collected and pooled from the broiler farms Standard bacteriological and molecular techniques were followed to isolate and identify Campylobacter spp. Data on management, biosecurity, mortality and hygiene practices were collected using a structured questionnaire. The majors risk factors were analyzed at the farm level. Among 100 pooled (five samples from each broiler farm) cloacal swab samples from 100 broiler farms, the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was estimated to be 24% (95% CI 16.02–33.57). The tended to be higher prevalence Campylobacter spp. colonization was found in Narsindi district (32.35%) followed by Narayanganj (27.78%) and Munshiganj (10%) (p=0.09). In risk factor analysis, the factors more significantly associated with Campylobacter colonization were human traffic (more than one person enter into the shed, p=0.006), source of water (tube well, p=<0.001), not using of dedicated cloth or footwear into the farms (p=0.032), no use of disinfection of farms before restock (p=0.014) and less gap (minimum 14 days) between two batches during broiler rearing (p=0.008) associated with tended risk factors included absence of footbath facilities, presence of rodents in the farms, litter store outside of farms (0.05<p<0.1). The study gathered evidence of the presence of Campylobacter spp. colonization in the broiler farms and identified the factors that could help set effective interventions in the controlling of Campylobacter infection in chickens to reduce Campylobacter infection in humans through broilers. Keywords: Campylobacter spp., cloacal swab, prevalence, risk factors, Biosecurity.