Environmental Health, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2022 Feb;69(1):13-22. doi: 10.1111/zph.12889. Epub 2021 Sep 5.
Worldwide, foodborne illness is a significant public health issue in both developed and developing countries. Salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and shigellosis are common foodborne gastrointestinal illnesses caused by the bacteria Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Shigella spp. respectively. These zoonotic diseases are frequently linked to eggs and poultry products. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of these pathogens in Australian backyard poultry flocks and to determine risk factors for these pathogens. Poultry faeces samples were collected from 82 backyards and screened for Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Shigella spp. using qPCR. A questionnaire was administered to the backyard poultry owners to assess their knowledge regarding management of poultry and eggs and to identify potential risk factors that may contribute to the presence of zoonotic pathogens in the flocks. One composite faecal sample was collected from each backyard (82 samples). Composite sampling here means taking one or more grab samples from a backyard to make up approximately 10 grams. Four per cent of samples, that is 4% backyards tested, were positive for Salmonella spp., 10% were positive for Campylobacter spp. and none were positive for Shigella spp. A higher infection rate was seen in multi-aged flocks (24%) compared with the single-aged flocks (3%). The survey found that many participants were engaging in risky food safety behaviours with 46% of participants responding that they washed their eggs with running water or still water instead of wiping the dirt off with a damp cloth to clean the eggs and 19% stored their eggs at room temperature. This study demonstrated that backyard poultry may pose a potential risk for salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis. Additionally, Australian public health and food safety regulations should be modified and effectively implemented to address the risks associated with backyard poultry husbandry.
在全球范围内，食源性疾病是发达国家和发展中国家都面临的重大公共卫生问题。沙门氏菌病、弯曲菌病和志贺氏菌病是由沙门氏菌、弯曲菌和志贺氏菌分别引起的常见食源性胃肠道疾病。这些人畜共患病常与鸡蛋和家禽产品有关。本研究旨在调查这些病原体在澳大利亚后院家禽群中的存在情况，并确定这些病原体的危险因素。从 82 个后院采集家禽粪便样本，使用 qPCR 筛查沙门氏菌、弯曲菌和志贺氏菌。向后院家禽饲养者发放问卷，评估他们对家禽和鸡蛋管理的知识，并确定可能导致人畜共患病原体在后院家禽群中存在的潜在危险因素。从每个后院采集一份复合粪便样本（共 82 份样本）。这里的复合采样是指从前院采集一个或多个抓样，组成大约 10 克的样本。4%的样本，即 4%的后院，检测出沙门氏菌阳性，10%的样本检测出弯曲菌阳性，无一例志贺氏菌阳性。多龄禽群的感染率（24%）高于单龄禽群（3%）。调查发现，许多参与者从事有风险的食品安全行为，46%的参与者回答说他们用自来水或静水冲洗鸡蛋，而不是用湿布擦拭污垢来清洁鸡蛋，19%的参与者将鸡蛋存放在室温下。本研究表明，后院家禽可能对沙门氏菌病和弯曲菌病构成潜在威胁。此外，澳大利亚公共卫生和食品安全法规应加以修改并有效实施，以应对与后院家禽养殖相关的风险。
