Ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter persists in raw retail chicken after the fluoroquinolone ban

Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess. 2009 Oct;26(10):1348-53. doi: 10.1080/02652030903013294.

Abstract

In 2005, the FDA withdrew approval for the use of fluoroquinolones in live poultry production. To assess any changes in countable numbers of ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter before and after the fluoroquinolone withdrawal, retail whole raw chicken carcasses (RTCC) purchased in Northwest Arkansas from 2004 to 2006 were sampled for this purpose. Using a previously published direct-plating method developed in our laboratory, we quantified trends of Campylobacter and ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter loads by direct plating whole chicken carcass rinses on Campylobacter agar (CA) or Campylobacter agar containing 8.6 mg/ml ciprofloxacin (CCA). Countable populations of Campylobacter were recovered from 74, 96, and 63% of carcasses sampled in 2004, 2005, and 2006 respectively. The percentages of carcasses with minimum detectable levels of ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter were 20, 42 and 33%, sampled in 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively. Our 3 year analysis in one geographical area indicated a persistence of Campylobacter and ciprofloxacin-resistant Campylobacter on retail raw chicken carcasses despite the cessation of fluoroquinolone use in poultry production.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Campylobacter / drug effects*
  • Campylobacter / isolation & purification
  • Chickens
  • Ciprofloxacin / pharmacology*
  • Commerce
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial*
  • Food Analysis / methods
  • Meat / analysis*
  • Seasons
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Ciprofloxacin