Exposure assessment of Campylobacter in United States broiler processing plants – Part 2: prevalence model

Poultry processing plants implement controls to reduce Campylobacter prevalence and mitigate gastrointestinal disease risks. Quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRA) use exposure assessments to evaluate Campylobacter changes and intervention efficacy in U.S. poultry processing plants. However, exposure assessments for poultry parts and comminuted products, representing higher share of total poultry consumption, have not been done till date. In this continuation of the exposure assessment, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (SR-MA) to establish baseline for Campylobacter prevalence without interventions and assess intervention efficacy on carcasses, cut-up parts, and comminuted poultry. Initial prevalence (82 %) was calculated from literature. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated to indicate changes in Campylobacter prevalence. The scalding OR of 0.15 and chilling OR of 0.32 achieved the greatest reduction (P < 0.05). A baseline model showed prevalence reductions to 18.4 % for whole birds, 62.5 % for parts and 25.2 % for comminuted product. Validation against commercial integrator data (whole birds: <10 %; parts: ≤ 15 %) confirmed model robustness. A multi-hurdle intervention reduced prevalence in whole birds (2.14 %), cut-up parts (6.5 %), and comminuted (2.62 %). Interventions effectively reduce prevalence and variability across parts categories, improving exposure estimates.