Warmer temperatures, heavy rain can increase risk of campylobacter

Recent research shows that heavy rain and average temperatures over 6ºC during chicken breeding periods can increase the risk of broilers becoming infected by campylobacter bacteria.
Malin Jonsson, the author of the research, studied areas in Norway where chicken flocks are at the highest risk of infection. The analyses, which included daily temperature measurements and precipitation correlated to each chicken flock, showed that the risk of a chicken pen becoming infected by campylobacter increased successively as the daily mean temperature and precipitation increased.
The research project was financed by the Norwegian Research Council and carried out at the National Veterinary Institute from 2006 through 2010.