Arcobacter spp. in Retail Foodstuffs in Ireland: Optimising Isolation Procedures and an Investigation of Their Genetic Relatedness

Arcobacters have been historically associated with veterinary diseases, notably abortion and or other reproductive disorders. More recently however, A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus have been recognised as human foodborne pathogens, most commonly associated with gastroenteritis, but also with cases of septicaemia. The lack of standardised detection techniques and the fact that Arcobacter isolation is not a routine hospital laboratory procedure has hindered accurate assessment of association of Arcobacter with human illness. <P>
This project will optimise isolation procedures for Arcobacter. The latest genotyping methods will be applied and the genotype distribution assessed. These procedures will then be used to examine the contamination of Irish foodstuffs