Division 1 Collection and transport

Campylobacters are relatively fragile organisms, which die quickly outside the host gut. Therefore, care shall be taken to ensure that samples are taken appropriately and analysed quickly. Extreme temperatures have to be avoided and transport shall be as fast as possible.

Samples to be collected shall be intact caeca. Caecal samples shall be taken at the time of evisceration.

Only staff trained in standard sampling procedures shall collect samples. The main objective shall be to minimise external contamination from caecal content while sampling. That is best achieved by careful manual traction at the junction with the intestine. One intact caecum shall be taken per bird, and samplers shall verify that the caecum is full or it shall be disregarded. Birds shall preferably be sampled at random throughout the batch (avoiding the first part of the batch to be slaughtered), collecting samples from non-consecutive birds. The 10 caeca collected may be placed in a single sterile bag/pack for transport.

All relevant information available from the sample must be recorded on a sampling form produced by the competent authority to enable the reporting requirements in Part E to be fulfilled. Each sample and its sample form must be labelled with a unique number which must be used from sampling to testing. The competent authority must arrange for the issue and use of a unique numbering system. The same identifier of the slaughter batch shall be used as the one for the carcass sample.

Caecal samples shall be transported as intact caeca to the laboratory within 24 hours (i.e. overnight postage or courier) and analysed there immediately. In cases where that cannot be managed, the samples shall be kept refrigerated at least until transported to the laboratory and they shall be analysed no later than 72-80 hours after sampling. At the laboratory, samples that cannot be tested on the day of arrival shall be kept refrigerated until analysis.

At the laboratory, the caecal contents shall be aseptically removed and pooled to one composite sample.