Food control and research on Campylobacter spp. in Estonia.

The objectives of the present study, which was carried out as an addition to the national Campylobacter spp. monitoring program activities, were to: 1) determine Campylobacter spp. in raw retail poultry meat in Estonia in order to provide data for understanding the significance of poultry as a potential source of human Compylobacter infection in Estonia, 2) serotype and PFGE genotype Compylobocter isolates originating from raw retail poultry meat to understand the distribution and diversity of serotypes and PFGE genotypes in Estonia, 3) determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated Campylobocter strains in order to compare it to respective levels in other EU countries and to understand the problem severity in Estonia. Our studies revealed that the proportion of Campylobacter positive samples in fresh chicken products of Estonian origin was 9.1 % compared to 15.9% obtained from imported frozen raw poultry products. Analysis of seasonality of Campylobacter positive samples indicated that the seasonal peak of Campylobacter on chicken meat in Estonia was from June to October. Our studies showed high serotype and genotype diversity among Campylobocter isolates from raw retail poultry. Multidrug resistance in Estonian broiler chicken isolates was one of the highest reported in the latest studies of broiler chicken Campylobacter isolates. Our findings in 2005 and 2006 suggest that the use of fluoroquinolones may select multiresistant strains since resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin or oxytetracycline seldom occurred without simultaneous resistance to fluoroquinolones.