Arcobacters as emerging human foodborne pathogens

Arcobacter spp. are increasingly being isolated from a wide range of foods especially those of animal origin, such as pork and poultry, and products d erived from these. Although its role in the disease process remains to be f ully elucidated, there have been several reports of the organism being impl icated in human illness. This article reviews the procedures that have been developed for the isolation and identification of Arcobacter spp. which ha ve lead to its detection in a wide range of animals and foods and discusses the role that this organism may have in the epidemiology of foodborne dise ase. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.