The epidemiological significance of duck meat as a source of Salmonella spp. a review

Abstract

Foodborne transmission of Salmonella spp. from contaminated duck meat has been recognised as an important hazard for human health in the past few decades and pathogenic strains of Salmonella spp. have long been considered as serious zoonotic hazards. The nutritional quality is the main reason for the fact that duck meat is very attractive for consumers worldwide, so measures to preserve the safety of duck meat are very important. Duck meat has received little attention in epidemiological studies, but undoubtedly the consumption of contaminated duck meat poses a high risk of foodborne disease just like other types of poultry meat and reports showed that 2% of all foodborne outbreaks were associated with consumption of duck meat. Furthermore, some results showed that contamination of duck meat with Salmonella spp. was 29.9% and was the highest in comparison with chicken (5%), turkey (5%) as well as meat of other poultry species. Prevalence of Salmonella spp. on duck farms in different countries significantly varied with time, ranging from 3.3% to 66.7%. The widespread use of antibiotics could be a significant cause in the development and transmission of resistance determinants from duck to humans via the food chain. The relationship between duck meat and the occurrence of salmonellosis in humans, mainly due to the lack of proper regulations, is reviewed in the present paper. The need for regular control of the presence of Salmonella in ducks, their environment and duck meat is highlighted. Continuous monitoring and reporting on incidents in the future should improve the current regulations.