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The present multicenter study aimed at assessing the performance of air sampling as a novel method for monitoring Campylobacter in biosecure poultry farms. We compared, using a harmonized procedure, the bacteriological isolation protocol (ISO 10272-1:2017) and a real-time PCR method used on air filter samples. Air samples and boot swabs were collected from 62 biosecure flocks from five European countries during the summer of 2019. For air filters, the frequency of PCR-positive findings was significantly higher ( n  = 36; 58%) than that obtained with the cultivation methods ( P <  0.01; standardized residuals). The cultivation protocols (one with Bolton enrichment and one with Preston enrichment) were comparable to each other but returned fewer positive samples (0 to 8%). The association between type of sample and frequency of PCR-positive findings was statistically confirmed ( P <  0.01; Fisher´s exact test), although no culture-positive air filters were detected using direct plating. For the boot swabs, the highest number of positive samples were detected after enrichment in Preston broth ( n  = 23; 37%), followed by direct plating after homogenization in Preston ( n  = 21; 34%) or Bolton broth ( n  = 20; 32%). It is noteworthy that the flocks in Norway, a country known to have low Campylobacter prevalence in biosecure chicken flocks, tested negative for Campylobacter by the new sensitive approach. In conclusion, air sampling combined with real-time PCR is proposed as a multipurpose, low-cost, and convenient screening method that can be up to four times faster and four times more sensitive than the current boot-swab testing scheme used for screening biosecure chicken production. IMPORTANCE bacteria are the cause of the vast majority of registered cases of foodborne illness in the industrialized world. In fact, the bacteria caused 246,571 registered cases of foodborne illness in 2018, which equates to 70% of all registered cases in Europe that year. An important tool to prevent campylobacters from making people sick is good data on where in the food chain the bacterium is present. The present study reports a new test method that quadruples the likelihood of identifying campylobacter-positive chicken flocks. It is important to identify campylobacter-positive flocks before they arrive at the slaughterhouse, because negative flocks can be slaughtered first in order to avoid cross-contamination along the production line.Campylobacter bacteria are the cause of the vast majority of registered cases of foodborne illness in the industrialized world. In fact, the bacteria caused 246,571 registered cases of foodborne illness in 2018, which equates to 70% of all registered cases in Europe that year. An important tool to prevent campylobacters from making people sick is good data on where in the food chain the bacterium is present. The present study reports a new test method that quadruples the likelihood of identifying campylobacter-positive chicken flocks. It is important to identify campylobacter-positive flocks before they arrive at the slaughterhouse, because negative flocks can be slaughtered first in order to avoid cross-contamination along the production line., (Copyright © 2020 American Society for Microbiology.)

The present pilot study aimed at evaluating air sampling as a novel method for monitoring Campylobacter in poultry farms. We compared the bacteriological isolation of Campylobacter from boot swabs and air filter samples using ISO 10272-1:2017. A secondary aim was to evaluate the use of molecular methods, i.e. real time PCR, on the same sample set. Samples from 44 flocks from five European countries were collected, and included air samples, in parallel with boot swabs. Campylobacter spp. was isolated from seven of 44 boot swabs from three of five partners using the enrichment method. Two of these positive boot swab samples had corresponding positive air samples. Using enrichment, one positive air sample was negative in the corresponding boot swabs, but Campylobacter spp. was isolated from direct plating of the boot swab sample. One partner isolated Campylobacter spp. from six of 10 boot swabs using direct plating. Overall, 33 air filter samples were screened directly with PCR, returning 14 positive results. In conclusion, there was a lack of correspondence between results from analysis of boot swabs and air filters using ISO 10272-1:2017. In contrast, the combination of air filters and direct real-time PCR might be a way forward. Despite the use of the detailed ISO protocols, there were still sections that could be interpreted differently among laboratories. Air sampling may turn into a multi-purpose and low-cost sampling method that may be integrated into self-monitoring programs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest or commercial interest, and have all approved the manuscript for publication., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aims of this study were to obtain current information on the prevalence and species representation of bacteria of the genus Campylobacter in dogs in Moravia and to evaluate the risk factors affecting their occurrence with respect to possible transmission to the human population., Material and Methods: Rectal swabs of dogs obtained in the routine practice of veterinarians in the South Moravian and Olomouc -regions were examined from May 2013 to December 2014. The basic tests were performed in laboratories of the State Veterinary Institute in Olomouc and the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno. To detect Campylobacter spp., the samples were cultured on mCCDA (modified charcoal-cefoperazone-deoxycholate agar). Suspected colonies were confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS (Biotyper Microflex, Bruker) or using specific PCR which allows to distinguish between the species C. jejuni, C. coli, C. lari and C. upsaliensis. A detailed history was obtained from questionnaires completed by the dog owners., Results: From a total of 258 rectal swabs examined, 41 samples were positive (16 %). The most frequently detected species was C. jejuni, followed by C. upsaliensis a C. coli. There was only one sample of C. lari. The evaluation of the questionnaire data showed that the frequency of Campylobacter spp. and their species representation depended on the age of the animals, the composition of feed and the clinical signs of the disease., Conclusion: Young dogs on a homemade diet and with diarrhea may be considered a risk group in terms of possible transmission of Campylobacter infections from pets to humans. Households with young children are the most affected group in the Czech Republic and EU countries. As such, they should be given a high priority with respect to the basic hygiene rules if they breed dogs, especially puppies.