Occurrence of <i>Campylobacter</i> in Faeces, Livers and Carcasses of Wild Boars Hunted in Tuscany (Italy) and Evaluation of MALDI-TOF MS for the Identification of <i>Campylobacter</i> Species
Monika Ziomek,
Michał Gondek,
Beatrice Torracca,
Francesca Marotta,
Giuliano Garofolo,
Kinga Wieczorek,
Katarzyna Michalak,
Filippo Fratini,
Francesca Pedonese
Affiliations
Monika Ziomek
Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Michał Gondek
Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Beatrice Torracca
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Marotta
National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Via Campo Boario 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Giuliano Garofolo
National Reference Laboratory for Campylobacter, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Via Campo Boario 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
Kinga Wieczorek
National Veterinary Research Institute, Department of Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin, Partyzantow 57, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
Katarzyna Michalak
Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
Filippo Fratini
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Pedonese
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
A total of 193 wild boars hunted in Tuscany, an Italian region with a high presence of wild ungulates, were examined to assess the occurrence of Campylobacter species in faeces, bile, liver and carcasses, with the aim of clarifying their contribution to human infection through the food chain. Campylobacter spp. were found in 44.56% of the animals, 42.62% of the faecal samples, 18.18% of the carcass samples, 4.81% of the liver tissues and 1.97% of the bile samples. The Campylobacter species genotypically identified were C. coli, C. lanienae, C. jejuni and C. hyointestinalis. The prevalent species transpired to be C. coli and C. lanienae, which were isolated from all the matrices; C. jejuni was present in faeces and liver, while C. hyointestinalis only in faeces. Identification was carried out by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) on 66 out of 100 isolates identified genotypically, and the technique yielded unsatisfactory results in the case of C. lanienae, which is responsible for sporadic human disease cases. The level of Campylobacter spp. contamination of meat and liver underlines the need to provide appropriate food safety information to hunters and consumers.
