Prevalence of Campylobacter Species in Raw Bovine Milk in Mashhad, Iran

Campylobacter sp. are one of the most frequent pathogens of acute bacterial gastroenteritis which is transmitted mostly via food originating from animals. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Campylobacter sp., in raw bovine milk in Mashhad, Iran. From June, 2008-2009, a total of 120 raw bovine milk samples from randomly selected dairy bovine herds in Mashhad, Iran and were evaluated for the presence of Campylobacter. In this study, 3 of 120 raw bovine milk samples (2.5%) were found to be contaminated with Campylobacter. Campylobacter isolates recovered from raw bovine milk were all identified as C. jejuni. To the knowledge, the present study is the first report of the isolation of Campylobacter sp., from raw bovine milk in Mashhad, Iran.