ABSTRACT
Consumption of foods containing chicken liver has been associated with Campylobacter
enteritis. Campylobacters can contaminate the surface of livers post-mortem but can also
arise through systemic infection of colonising bacteria in live birds. The use of
bacteriophage to reduce levels of Campylobacter entering the food chain is a promising
intervention approach but most phages have been isolated from chicken excreta. This
study examined the incidence and contamination levels of Campylobacter and their
bacteriophage in UK retail chicken liver. Using enrichment procedures, 87% of 109
chicken livers were surface contaminated with Campylobacter and 83% contaminated
within internal tissues. Direct plating on selective agar allowed enumeration of viable
bacteria from 43 % of liver samples with counts ranging from 1.8 - > 3.8 log10 CFU/cm2
for surface samples, and 3.0 – > 3.8 log10 CFU/g for internal tissue samples. Three C.
jejuni isolates recovered from internal liver tissues were assessed for their ability to
colonise the intestines and extra-intestinal organs of broiler chickens following oral