dc.description.abstract | Aims: To investigate the presence of Arcobacter spp. in minced beef meat (n ¼ 97) and rectal faecal samples
(n ¼ 200) collected from cattle immediately after slaughter at a local abattoir in Turkey.
Methods and Results: Meat samples were examined using three different isolation procedures (CATsupplemented
media, de Boer arcobacter isolation method and membrane filtration method), but only one method
(CAT-supplemented media) was employed for faecal samples. The isolated Arcobacter strains were identified
by genus- and species-(multiplex) specific PCR assays. Arcobacter spp. were isolated from 5 and 9Æ5% of meat and
faecal samples respectively. Although the only Arcobacter sp. found in meat samples was Arcobacter butzleri,
all three pathogenic species – A. butzleri, A. cryaerophilus and A. skirrowii – were detected in the rectal swabs. No
Arcobacter was isolated when the de Boer method was used for minced meat samples but the same five meat
samples were found positive for arcobacters when CAT-supplemented media and membrane filtration method
were used.
Conclusions: The membrane filtration method was found to be superior to the CAT-supplemented media,
because it led to a reduction in competing microflora. However, the necessity for one filter and medium for each
sample makes this method somewhat expensive. The multiplex-PCR (m-PCR) assay shortened significantly the
time required for the identification of Arcobacter spp. and also removed the possibility of false positive results due to
other campylobacteria.
Significance and Impact of the Study: This study reports the isolation of Arcobacter spp. in cattle for the first
time in Turkey. The m-PCR assay enables the identification and differentiation of all arcobacters simultaneously in
one-step PCR. | tr_TR |