Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, verotoxigenic Escherichia coli, and Escherichia coli prevalence, enumeration, and subtypes on retail chicken breasts with and without skin.

This study examined the prevalence, counts, and subtypes of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), and E. coli on raw retail chicken breast with the skin on versus the skin off. From January to December 2007, 187 raw skin-on chicken breasts and 131 skin-off chicken breasts were collected from randomly selected retail grocery stores in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Campylobacter isolates were recovered from a higher proportion of the skin-off chicken breasts, 55 (42%) of 131, than of the skin-on chicken breasts tested, 55 (29%) of 187 (P = 0.023). There was no difference in the proportion of Salmonella isolates recovered from the two meat types (P = 0.715): 40 (31%) of 131 skin-off chicken breasts versus 61 (33%) of 187 skin-on chicken breasts. L. monocytogenes isolates were recovered from a statistically lower proportion of the skin-off chicken breasts, 15 (15%) of 99, than of the skin-on chicken breasts, 64 (34%) of 187 (P = 0.001). There was ...