Campylobacteriosis impact

Campylobacter is a bacterium that can cause an illness called campylobacteriosis in humans. With over 190,000 human cases annually, this disease is the most frequently reported food-borne illness in the European Union. However, the actual number of cases is believed to be around nine million each year. The cost of campylobacteriosis to public health systems and to lost productivity in the EU is estimated by EFSA to be around EUR 2.4 billion a year. Poultry meat is a mayor, if not the largest, single source of human infection. In an EU baseline survey over the contamination level in both broiler carcasses and flocks, and results showed that at the Community level the average prevalence of Campylobacter colonization was as high as 71% and 76% respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that Campylobacter issue in Poultry is one of the most important topics in the EU in terms on food safety and public health, and that the primary source of Campylobacter is primary production.

Campylobacteriosis is the most frequently reported zoonotic illness at the EU in 2011, with 9 million human cases, and a total annual cost of 2.4 billion € per year in the EU27. Poultry meat is the major single source of human infection. Recent studies have shown that European broiler flocks have a high prevalence of Campylobacter colonization with an average of 71%. However, there is still no effective, reliable and practical strategy available to prevent or to reduce Campylobacter colonization in broilers.