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Efficacy of Iron Chelators on Campylobacter Concentrations in Turkey Semen¹

K. Cole^*, A. M. Donoghue, I. Reyes-Herrera^*, N. Rath and D. J. Donoghue^*,2

^* Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72701; and Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit, ARS, USDA, Fayetteville, AR 72701

² Corresponding author: ddonogh{at}uark.edu

Campylobacter is a leading bacterial cause of human foodborne infections in the United States. Recent studies suggest that the organism is highly prevalent in poultry semen and may contribute to vertical transmission between the breeder hen and offspring. Because Campylobacter requires iron for its growth and survival, the objective of this study was to determine if the addition of natural and synthetic chelators such as ovotransferrin, desferrioxaime, EDTA, or 2,2'-dipyridyl could reduce or eliminate Campylobacter in turkey semen. In a preliminary study without semen, a commercial poultry semen extender was supplemented with various concentrations of ovotransferrin, desferrioxaime, EDTA, or 2,2'-dipyridyl and inoculated with an average of 10⁸ cfu/mL of a wild-type Campylobacter coli turkey semen isolate. At 6 and 24 h of storage at 4°C, a sample was taken from each treatment group and enumerated for Campylobacter. In all 3 trials, Campylobacter was undetectable (<10²) in the commercial poultry semen extender supplemented with 20 mg/mL of 2,2'-dipyridyl. There were no differences observed in Campylobacter concentrations in the commercial poultry semen extender supplemented with ovotransferrin, desferrioxaime, or EDTA compared with unsupplemented controls. In a follow-up study, pooled semen samples were randomly collected from toms, diluted with a commercial poultry semen extender supplemented with 5, 10, or 20 mg/mL of 2,2'-dipyridyl and inoculated with an average of 10⁸ cfu/mL of a wild-type C. coli turkey semen isolate. At 6 and 24 h of storage at 4°C, samples were taken from each treatment group, enumerated for Campylobacter, and evaluated for sperm viability. In all 3 trials, supplementing the commercial poultry semen extender with 20 mg/mL of 2,2'-dipyryidyl significantly reduced (3 to 4 logs) Campylobacter concentrations when compared with the positive controls. Sperm viability was also reduced with this treatment, and, therefore, the use of 2,2'-dipyridyl may not be a practical treatment for reducing Campylobacter in poultry semen.

Key Words: Campylobacter • iron • turkey • semen

¹ This research has been supported in part by the U.S. Egg and Poultry Association (project #394) and the Food Safety Consortium. Mention of a trade name, proprietary product, or specific equipment does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the USDA and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that are suitable.

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