Cameras spot campylobacter in live chickens

Friday, April 8, 2016

There's a growing body of scientific evidence that campylobacter, a major food safety issue and a cause for concern worldwide, isn't just a harmless bacterium in the guts of the chickens that carry it; instead it makes them sick. And sick birds don't move as much as healthy birds, says research published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Scientists are testing so-called optical flow information – videos from cameras watching the birds in 31 commercial flocks, at various ages, looking for signs of the disease. Chickens that carry campylobacter aren't healthy themselves, the Food Standards Agency in Britain has found. Researchers tested 31 commercial flocks at various ages for the disease.

Contaminated chicken meat is considered to be the source of about four-fifths of campylobacter infections in Britain. Scientists say that 60 billion chickens are consumed annually in the world, more than any other form of livestock or poultry. BF