Description:
<jats:p>
<jats:italic>Campylobacter fetus</jats:italic> causes severe infections in humans and can be isolated from various mammals and reptiles. However, although poultry are considered to be the main reservoir of <jats:italic>Campylobacter jejuni</jats:italic>, little is known about the presence of <jats:italic>C. fetus</jats:italic> in poultry. Thus, specific pathogen-free chickens were experimentally inoculated with a mixture of either three non-thermotolerant or four thermotolerant human strains of <jats:italic>C. fetus</jats:italic>. Faecal samples were regularly sampled after inoculation and caeca and intestines were collected 21 or 40 days after inoculation. All samples were analysed for the presence of <jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> using culture techniques. No <jats:italic>Campylobacter</jats:italic> could be re-isolated. This result strongly suggests that broilers do not play an important part in the <jats:italic>C. fetus</jats:italic> contamination of humans.</jats:p>