A previously developed Arcobacter isolation protocol for poultry skin and meat was validated for the isolation of Arcobacter from feces of livestock animals. Good repeatability, in-lab reproducibility and sensitivity were achieved and the specificity was improved by additional incorporation of cycloheximide and increase of the novobiocin concentration in the selective supplement. The limit of detection of quantitative and qualitative analysis was 10(2) and 10(0) cfu g(-1) feces, respectively. From fecal samples collected at slaughterhouse, Arcobacter was isolated from 43.9% of porcine, 39.2% of bovine, 16.1% of ovine and 15.4% of equine samples. All three animal-associated Arcobacter species were isolated and levels up to 10(3) cfu g(-1) feces were determined.

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Aims:  To assess the survival capacity in vitro of arcobacters in water at temperatures applied in the food industry. Methods and Results:  Four strains of each Arcobacter species were inoculated in potable water and water with 1% organic material and stored at 4, 7, 20, 52, 56 and 60°C. Samples were taken at known time points and the numbers of bacteria were determined on Arcobacter‐selective medium. All Arcobacter species remained viable for a temperature‐dependent period of time, although Arcobacter butzleri displayed a significant longer survival and heat resistance. No significant intraspecies differences were detected, resulting in no definite identification of origin or strain dependency. The survival period for all species was prolonged in the presence of the organic material only for the low temperatures. Conclusions:  The present study demonstrates that water can act as a reservoir and as a potential source of Arcobacter contamination to humans and animals. Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study assessed for the first time the survival of all human‐related Arcobacter species in water. Particularly A. butzleri showed to be the most robust species with regard to temperature which is interesting as that species is often found in human clinical specimens.

Both Campylobacter and Arcobacter are commonly present on broiler carcasses. For Campylobacter, the superficial contamination originates predominantly from fecal contamination during slaughter. In contrast with Campylobacter, the source of the Arcobacter contamination is not clear. In several studies, arcobacters have been isolated in poultry processing plants from the carcasses and slaughter equipment, but not from the intestinal content. In literature, contradictory reports about the Arcobacter colonization of the chicken gut have been published. In most of those studies, arcobacters were not isolated from cecal content nor from litter or the feathers, though some studies reported the isolation of arcobacters from cloacal swab samples. The present study assessed if arcobacters are part of the chicken intestine, skin, or feather flora. Because no isolation protocol has been validated for poultry intestinal content, a previously developed Arcobacter isolation procedure for feces from livestock animals was first validated. With this method, a good repeatability, in-lab reproducibility and sensitivity, and a good suppression of the chicken fecal accompanying flora were achieved when 125 mg/L of 5-fluorouracil, 10 mg/L of amphotericine B, 100 mg/L of cycloheximide, 16 mg/L of cefoperazone, 64 mg/L of novobiocine, and 64 mg/L of trimethoprim were applied. The validated method was used to examine the presence of arcobacters in and on living chickens of 4 flocks at slaughter age. Because arcobacters were not isolated from the intestinal tract nor from the skin or feathers of the birds, this study was not able to identify arcobacters as part of the intestinal or skin flora, nor could confirm the role of process water as reservoir. However, the results clearly demonstrated that the time period for processing the samples and the way of sample collection are crucial in the interpretation of epidemiological studies. As the reservoir of the carcass contamination remains unidentified, studies about the capacity of arcobacters to colonize the chicken intestinal tract may contribute in the assessment of the transmission routes of this emerging foodborn pathogen.