Campylobacter contamination found in chicken livers in Japan
What it found
Most chicken liver products from Japanese shops and most livers from processed broilers carried Campylobacter.
The authors say livers should be thoroughly heated before eating.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Broiler gut and liver
In 35 broilers at processing plants, Campylobacter was found in the gut of 27 (77.1%). Of those 27, the liver of 24 (88.9%) was contaminated, with an average count of 2.8 log 10 CFU/g.
Bile contamination
Of the 24 broilers with contaminated livers, bile from 13 (54.2%) carried Campylobacter, with an average count of 3.5 log 10 CFU/mL. Two broilers had bile counts above 8.3 log 10 CFU/mL.
Other findings
Retail liver products
Of 33 vacuum-packed liver products from shops, 27 (81.8%) were contaminated with Campylobacter.
Contamination in livers
Among the 27 contaminated products, 138 of 149 livers (92.6%) carried Campylobacter. The average count was 2.3 log 10 CFU/g, and 22 of the 138 livers (15.9%) had counts above 3.0 log 10 CFU/g.
What the authors conclude
“Therefore, to prevent foodborne campylobacteriosis in humans, chicken livers should be thoroughly heated before consumption.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that livers from broilers carrying Campylobacter become contaminated during evisceration.
- They advise that chicken livers should be thoroughly heated before consumption to prevent foodborne campylobacteriosis in humans.
How it was done
Chicken liver is a possible source of campylobacteriosis in people, so the authors wanted to measure how much Campylobacter is present.
They tested 33 vacuum-packed chicken liver products from retail stores and 149 livers from the 27 contaminated products. They also collected gut, liver and bile samples from 35 broilers at processing plants.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study measured Campylobacter on chicken livers but did not test whether people who ate them became ill.
- It cannot show how cooking or handling at home affects the risk.
The paper
- Title
- [Quantitative Survey of Campylobacter on Chicken Livers in Japan]
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Sasaki Y, Yonemitsu K, Momose Y, Uema M (2023). [Quantitative Survey of Campylobacter on Chicken Livers in Japan]. Shokuhin eiseigaku zasshi. Journal of the Food Hygienic Society of Japan. doi:10.3358/shokueishi.64.214PubMed 38171891DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error