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This research project will screen a shortlist of plant extracts (terpenes) in-vitro, both in pure culture and mixed culture using chicken caecal contents for anti-microbial activity against Campylobacter jejuni.
<p>The approaches consist of:<ul>
<li>a state-of-the-art situation report on plant anti-microbials to control food pathogens with special reference to campylobacter control in poultry
<li>initial screening of a library of plant extracts to identify novel compounds with potential anti-microbial activity
<li>use of an agar diffusion method to screen shortlist of plant extracts for bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against Campylobacter jejuni
<li>screening additional commercially available natural products
<li>testing effect of selected promising anti-microbials on mixed caecal cultures of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli from the chicken gut.
</ul>
Measures aimed at controlling campylobacter in broilers are unlikely to be effective in controlling campylobacter colonisation in non-housed flocks.
<p>Dietary intervention, processing aids and drinking water additives are all potential control measures, which, if successful, could also be used in broiler chickens.
<p>This project aims to screen a shortlist of novel plant extracts for anti-microbial activity against strains of campylobacter.
<P>
The final report, "<a href="http://www.foodbase.org.uk/results.php?f_report_id=33" target="_new">Control of Campylobacter in Extensively Reared Chickens: An Investigation of Growth Inhibition and Inactivation of Campylobacter by Plant Extracts </a>" is available at Foodbase, an open access repository of the <acronym title="Food Standards Agency">FSA</acronym>.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.