Campylobacter, originating from poultry, is considered as one of the primary etiological agent of human foodborne illness. However, little is known about the Campylobacter spp. colonization in broilers of Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. colonization and its associated risk factors in the broiler farms of Munshigonj, Narayanganj, and Narsingdi Districts in Bangladesh. Cloacal swab samples were collected from 100 broiler farms. We speculated that individual samples had a higher possibility of isolating Campylobacter; however, five randomly selected broilers from each farm were used to create a pooled sample for this study. Standard bacteriological and molecular techniques were followed to isolate and identify Campylobacter spp. Data related to the poultry farm management practices were collected by using a designed questionnaire to predict the potential risk factors at the farm level. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was 24.00% irrespective of the farm locations. In the districts of Munshiganj, Narayanganj, and Narsindi, the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. colonization was found to be 10.00%, 27.78%, and 32.35%, respectively. In risk factor analysis, the factors significantly associated with Campylobacter colonization were “water supply”,“more than one person entering the house”, “use of separate footwear to enter in to the shed”, and “broiler house empty for >14 days between flocks”. “Footbath facility” and “presence of rodents in the poultry house” were revealed as the factors associated with increased risk for Campylobacter colonization. The study gathered evidence of the presence of Campylobacter spp. colonization in the broiler farms and identified influencing factors which could aid to set effective interventions for controlling of Campylobacter infection in broiler farms to minimize Campylobacter infection in humans from broilers. A further extended study might provide valuable information to formulate a national control strategy.
Keywords | Broiler farms, Campylobacter spp., Cloacal swab, Prevalence, Risk factors, Biosecurity