Background: Helicobacter pullorum can infect the intestinal tracts of both humans and avian species. This study aimed to assess the frequency and antibiotic resistance of H. pullorum isolated from workers in the poultry slaughterhouses, farms, and markets as exposed population and healthy people who referred to the hospital as non-exposed population by culture method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
Methods: Two hundred healthy individuals, including 100 individuals from exposed population and 100 from non-exposed population were selected in Semnan. Fresh stool samples were examined by conventional culture method and biochemical tests. PCR test with 16S rRNA gene was employed to confirm the H. pullorum isolates. Antibiotic resistance test was done using the disk diffusion method and various antimicrobial agents.
Results: Generally, 17 (17%) samples from exposed population and 12 (12%) samples from non-exposed population were H. pullorum positive by culture method and biochemical tests. However, PCR test could confirm 10 (10%) and 7 (7%) samples from exposed and non-exposed populations, respectively. Therefore, the frequency of H. pullorum was determined to be 9.5%. Antibiotic resistance test could reveal that most of the isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (84.2%), whereas resistance to colistin and fosfomycin was found to be 15.8%.
Conclusion: The present study illustrated that H. pullorum can be present among healthy population with the low frequency rate. Moreover, it was indicated that the frequency of this food-borne pathogen is high in the exposed population. Therefore, there is a high demand for good observation for slaughter hygiene and implementation of routine surveillance in the poultry farms and markets.

Background: Wastewater from poultry slaughterhouses is a serious environmental threat if they are incompletely treated. Recently, the utilization of microalgal species has gained significant attention for treating such wastewater. Chlorella vulgaris is one of the most efficient microalgae for treating poultry slaughterhouse wastewater due to its exceptional capacity for N, P, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. This study aimed to investigate the impact of initial total nitrogen concentration, total phosphorus, photoperiod, and cultivation time on reducing the organic load and enhancing the production of biomass in slaughterhouse wastewater.
Methods: Samples were collected from the effluent of a poultry slaughterhouse and underwent qualitative analysis. C. vulgaris was cultivated in the BBM culture medium. Experiments were designed using the response surface method. The designed experiments were then carried out and the obtained data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), resulting in fitted models for the data on organic load removal and biomass production. Numerical optimization was performed to optimize COD removal and increase algal biomass. Finally, the models were validated.
Results: The results demonstrated that the quadratic model has a good fit for COD removal and biomass increase data. In the optimal conditions, including TN = 600 mg/L, TP = 34 mg/L, culture duration = 15 d, and photoperiod = 12.6 hr, the COD removal efficiency and algal biomass production were 93.88% and 92.37%, respectively.
Conclusion: Chlorella vulgaris exhibits significant potential for the removal of the organic load from poultry slaughterhouse effluent. Also, substantial algal biomass is generated, which can be used in various areas such as livestock feed and sanitary uses.