Campylobacteriosis is a worldwide distribution zoonosis, with significant repercussions on public health and with a high socioeconomic impact. Routes of transmission of Campylobacter species to man are direct contact with carrier animals, contaminated water or food and it is most commonly associated with consumption of chicken meat. The objective of this study was to detect and enumerate the Campylobacter spp. by a rapid method (SimPlate®) and and conventional method (direct plating on mCCDA) and determine frequency and level of contamination in 75 broiler carcasses (25 pre-chill; 25 post-chill at establishments under federal inspection in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil and 25 frozen broiler carcass samples taken from the retail trade). Evaluated samples, regardless of the technique used, detected the presence of Campylobacter spp. in 56.0% before the chiller and 44.0% after the chiller. Counts of the frozen samples were below the detection limit of the method. Of the 75 samples tested, 34.7% were positive for Campylobacter spp. and that, 38.5% were identified as C. jejuni. Among them, the largest number of C. jejuni obtained was from the carcass of the chicken before the chiller (42.9%), followed by chicken carcass after the chiller (36.4%). The study showed that the detection and enumeration is variable, although in none of the samples intended for trade has been obtained scores above the infective dose. The use of SimPlate® technique was appropriate and equivalent to direct plating on agar mCCD and showed a better recovery rate cells of Campylobacter spp..
broiler meat; Campylobacter spp.; Campylobacter jejuni; identification; contamination
