Floating oyster cages provide roosting opportunities for waterbirds. Roosting birds defecate and their feces may introduce human pathogens, such as Campylobacter into the oyster meat. These pathogens could have a human health impact if the oyster meat becomes contaminated and is consumed raw or undercooked, a common practice. Recently there have been foodborne outbreaks in Rhode Island (2021), Maine (2024), and Massachusetts (2024) caused by oyster meat contaminated with Campylobacter spp. These incidents have brought attention to the food safety risk from roosting water birds on floating gear. This is a concern for aquaculture growers, regulators, and consumers. The natural depuration of Campylobacter from oyster meats is not well known. This information would enable regulators and growers to make informed decisions regarding best management practices to reduce the risk of Campylobacter in oysters.
Oysters were artificially inoculated with clinical strains of 1) Campylobacter jejuni, 2) Campylobacter lari, 3) Campylobacter coli, and 4) a cocktail of the three strains. Inoculated oysters were marinated in inoculated tanks with aeration for 24 hours, then they were placed in raceways with flowing seawater (filtered, UV treated, and heated) drawn from Narragansett Bay. The oysters were sampled eight times over fifteen days. The analysis included determining the presence or absence of detectable Campylobacter, following FDA BAM methodology. We will discuss the depuration of the three clinical strains of Campylobacter by examining the detection of the viable pathogen.