Finland: Campylobacter spp. in slaughtered turkeys
Campylobacter is the most frequently reported bacterial cause of foodborne gastroenteritis in humans worldwide, with poultry serving as its principal reservoir. Although broilers are often studied as a source of infection, data on Campylobacter in turkeys are limited because national production volumes fall below EU monitoring thresholds. A recent study investigated the prevalence, genetic diversity, and epidemiology of Campylobacter spp. in Finnish turkey flocks over a decade (2013–2023). Samples collected from Finnish turkey farms revealed that 9.5% of 1,856 turkey flocks and 82.9% of farms tested positive for Campylobacter, predominantly Campylobacter jejuni. Prevalence varied markedly by year, month, and farm, with peaks observed in summer and early autumn. Campylobacter contamination in Finnish turkey production is uncommon compared with international levels, likely reflecting high biosecurity standards, indoor rearing, and the use of competitive exclusion flora. Nevertheless, the prevalence remains higher than that reported in Finnish broilers, indicating potential for improvement in farm-level control. Campylobacter introduction was typically confined to single rearing cycles, with rapid spread between flocks on the same farm but no persistence of identical genotypes across years.
The study demonstrated that Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant species in Finnish turkeys, exhibiting high genetic diversity with no evidence of persistent farm-specific strains. The occurrence of antimicrobial resistance genes in the isolates was low in Finnish slaughter turkeys.
