Research Article

Prevalence of Campylobacter species in milk and some dairy products

A. M. El-Kholy a, A. M. S. Meshref, A. A. El-Gedawy and R. M. Esam
Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt

Abstract

Campylobacteriosis is assumed to be mainly a food-borne disease. Also the importance of milk as a source of human Campylobacter enteritis was confirmed by the European Union summary report on food-borne disease outbreaks. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to detect the prevalence of Campylobacters in milk and milk products. A total of 250 samples (100 milk, 50 Domiati cheese, 50 kareish cheese and 50 ice-cream) were collected from the different collection points in El-Minia and Beni-Suef Governorates. The samples were examined by microbiological culture method, and presumptive isolates were further confirmed by genetic amplification (PCR) using specific primers of hippuricase gene.The overall prevalence of Campylobacter species were 13% in raw milk, 52% in kareish cheese, 18% in Domiati cheese and 6% in ice-cream. PCR amplification of hipO gene of isolated C. jejuni from the milk and milk products samples had been shown identical fingerprints with human isolates at 323bp, which indicates the zoonotic hazards of Campylobacter jejuni in Egypt.

Keywords

Campylobacter, milk, dairy products, PCR.