The role of management systems in the epidemiology of thermophilic campylobacters among poultry in Eastern zone of Tanzania

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Abstract
SUMMARY: A total of 255 samples of droppings collected from a total of 22 different poultry units were examined for the presence of thermophilic campylobaeters and the isolates biotyped using Skirrow's protocol. The organisms were isolated from 90 (35·3%) of all samples. Among the 22 units investigated. 13 (59%) were found to have unsatisfactory management systems, while 7 (32%) and 2 (9%) were found to have unsatisfactory and good systems respectively. Significantly large numbers of isolations, 68 of 147 (46·2%), were made from samples collected from poultry units with poor management (P < 0·005). compared with 19 out of 84 (22·6%) samples which were collected from satisfactory units and 3 out of 24 (12·5%) samples collected from units exercising particularly good management. Nineteen of 72 (26·4%) samples collected from broilers, 32 out of 132 (24·2%) samples collected from layers and 39 out of 51 (70·49%) samples collected from indigenous free range poultry were positive for campylobacters. Among the 90 strains isolated from various units, 64 (70·1%) were Campylobacter jejuni. 25 (27·7%) were C. coli. and only 1 (2·2%) was C. laridis.