HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Griggs, J. P. Articles by Jacob, J. P. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Griggs, J. P. Articles by Jacob, J. P.

Microbial Safety of Chickens Raised Without Antibiotics

J. P. Griggs^*, J. B. Bender and J. P. Jacob^*,1

^* Department of Animal Science; and Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1354 Eckles Ave, St. Paul 55108

¹ Corresponding author: jacob150{at}umn.edu

The purpose of the current study was to verify whether there was any validity to the claim that consumers could reduce their exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria by purchasing poultry products that were produced without antibiotics. Rinse samples were taken from whole carcasses from chickens grown in small flocks and marketed as antibiotic-free. Salmonella bacteria were isolated from 18.7% of all the carcasses sampled. Campylobacter bacteria were found on 96.0% of the carcasses tested. More than two-thirds (69.4%) of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least 1 antibiotic. The antibiotic to which the Salmonella isolates were most commonly resistant was trimethoprim-sulfa, with almost two-thirds (62.9%) of the isolates being resistant to it. Almost three-fourths (73.4%) of the Campylobacter isolates were resistant to at least 1 antibiotic. The most common antibiotic to which Campylobacter isolates were resistant was tetracycline, with almost three-fourths (72.7%) of all Campylobacter isolates being resistant to it.

Key Words: broiler • antibiotic-free • food safety

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. P. Jacob, J. P. Griggs, and J. B. Bender Characterization of Small-Scale Antibiotic-Free Broiler Production in Minnesota J. Appl. Poult. Res., January 1, 2008; 17(3): 412 - 420. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]