Absence of thermophilic Campylobacter species in commercially reared rabbit does (Oryctolagus cuniculi) in Italy

Thermophilic Campylobacter species represent the most common zoonotic microorganisms implicated in human food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. Very little is known about the presence of these pathogens in commercially reared rabbits for the production of meat for human consumption. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in intensively reared meat rabbits in Northern Italy, where a high density of meat rabbit farms is concentrated. Two hundred and sixty rectal swabs were collected from clinically healthy breeding does housed in 13 farms (20 swabs per farm) and submitted to microbiological examination to detect the presence of Campylobacter spp. following the procedure suggested by the OIE (2008). Out of 260 rectal swabs, none was found positive for thermophilic Campylobacter spp. This finding indicates that meat rabbits could not be potential carriers of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. and could probably not play a role in the transmission of campylobacteriosis to humans.