Campylobacter jejuni in Poultry: Pathogenesis and Control Strategies

Abstract

<i>C. jejuni</i> is the leading cause of human foodborne illness associated with poultry, beef, and pork consumption. <i>C. jejuni</i> is highly prevalent in commercial poultry farms, where horizontal transmission from the environment is considered to be the primary source of <i>C. jejuni</i>. As an enteric pathogen, <i>C. jejuni</i> expresses virulence factors regulated by a two-component system that mediates <i>C. jejuni</i>'s ability to survive in the host. <i>C. jejuni</i> survives and reproduces in the avian intestinal mucus. The avian intestinal mucus is highly sulfated and sialylated compared with the human mucus modulating <i>C. jejuni</i> pathogenicity into a near commensal bacteria in poultry. Birds are usually infected from two to four weeks of age and remain colonized until they reach market age. A small dose of <i>C. jejuni</i> (around 35 CFU/mL) is sufficient for successful bird colonization. In the U.S., where chickens are raised under antibiotic-free environments, additional strategies are required to reduce <i>C. jejuni</i> prevalence on broilers farms. Strict biosecurity measures can decrease <i>C. jejuni</i> prevalence by more than 50% in broilers at market age. Vaccination and probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, organic acids, bacteriophages, bacteriocins, and quorum sensing inhibitors supplementation can improve gut health and competitively exclude <i>C. jejuni</i> load in broilers. Most of the mentioned strategies showed promising results; however, they are not fully implemented in poultry production. Current knowledge on <i>C. jejuni</i>'s morphology, source of transmission, pathogenesis in poultry, and available preharvest strategies to decrease <i>C. jejuni</i> colonization in broilers are addressed in this review.