CAMPYLOBACTER AND ARCOBACTER SPECIES  FROM CARCASSES 
AND CAECAL CONTENTS  OF COMMERCIALLY REARED DUCKS.  
Ridsdale, J.A.* and Corry, Janet E.L.  Dept of Clinical Veterinary Science, 
University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
	Campylobacter and Arcobacter species associated with chickens have been well 
studied.  However, little is known about the situation in ducks and knowledge is limited 
to Campylobacter jejuni.
 To detect a wide variety of Campylobacter and Arcobacter species in ducks, various 
isolation methods were used.  Ten oven-ready duck carcasses and the caecal contents of 
eight ducks, all 50 days old at slaughter, were examined.  Samples were plated before and 
after enrichment in Lab M Campylobacter Enrichment Broth (with cefoperazone, 
amphotericin, teicoplanin or the original Lab M supplement), either directly or after 
filtration, varying incubation temperature and atmosphere.  For initial characterisation, 
API-Campy Test Strips and the Preston Phenotypic Identification Scheme, were used.  
Where inconclusive results were obtained, a more comprehensive phenotypic 
identification scheme, analysing the results by numerical analysis, was required.  In 
addition, SDS-PAGE of whole cell proteins was used to compare isolates with reference 
strains.  Species isolated from carcasses were (in order of frequency) C. coli, C. jejuni 
subsp. jejuni, A. cryaerophilus, A. butzleri and A. skirrowii.  Species isolated from caecal 
contents were C. coli, C. upsaliensis, C. jejuni subsp. jejuni, A. cryaerophilus and A. 
butzleri.  C. upsaliensis was found in caeca, but not on carcasses, whereas other 
Campylobacter species were found both in the caeca and on carcasses.  This is the first 
report of C. upsaliensis in poultry, and ducks could be a source of human infection with 
this species.
 All species of Campylobacter and Arcobacter isolated in this study have been reported 
as human and/or animal pathogens (On 1996) and further study is needed to determine 
their epidemiological significance in human and animal disease

References.

On, S.L.W. (1996) Identification methods for campylobacters, helicobacters 
	and related organisms. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 9, 405-422.