US researcher investigates post-harvest methods to reduce Campylobacter on poultry products
Researchers identified one specific mutant that is unable to colonize the chicken cecumUSPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Tennessee in which a researcher investigated post-harvest methods to reduce Campylobacter on poultry products. The research was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Koch Foods and proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The research is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A summary of the completed project is below.
The project, entitled Identification of Genetic Determinants That Facilitate Campylobacter jejuni Survival During Poultry Processing, is led by Dr. Jeremiah G. Johnson of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Johnson, who is an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, has completed a research project aimed at determining whether defined C. jejuni mutants colonize chickens as readily as the parental strain. Researchers identified one specific mutant that is unable to colonize the chicken cecum. The finding was supported by the observation that chicks infected with both strains ended up colonized with only parental C. jejuni.
A summary of the research is available online.