The emerging foodborne and waterborne pathogen, Arcobacter, has been linked to various gastrointestinal diseases. Currently, 19 species are established or proposed; consequently, there has been an increase in the number of publications regarding Arcobacter since it was first introduced in 1991. To better understand the potential public health risks posed by Arcobacter, this review summarizes the current knowledge concerning the global distribution and the prevalence of Arcobacter in food and water. Arcobacter spp. were identified in food animals, food‐processing environments and a variety of foods, including vegetables, poultry, beef, dairy products, seafood, pork, lamb and rabbit. A wide range of waterbodies has been reported to be contaminated with Arcobacter spp., such as wastewater, seawater, lake and river water, drinking water, groundwater and recreational water. In addition, Arcobacter has also been isolated from pets, domestic birds, wildlife, zoo and farm animals. It is expected that advancements in molecular techniques will facilitate better detection worldwide and aid in understanding the pathogenicity of Arcobacter. However, more extensive and rigorous surveillance systems are needed to better understand the occurrence of Arcobacter in food and water in various regions of the world, as well as uncover other potential public health risks, that is antibiotic resistance and disinfection efficiency, to reduce the possibility of foodborne and waterborne infections.

While investigating certain aspects of animal physiology, neurology or behavior, research scientists sometimes must limit the amount of food or water provided to animals used in a study. Such limitations can negatively impact the health and welfare of laboratory animals by, for example, causing them to experience distress or pain. The author discusses the veterinary and regulatory concerns that laboratory personnel should consider when limiting food or water given to research animals. He concludes that by adequately addressing the needs of animals receiving less food or water than required by regulation, researchers will improve both animal care and scientific study results.

The effects of withholding food and/or water supply on the quality of meat from rex rabbits were investigated. Thirty-two rabbits were maintained under four different conditions: food and water respectively withheld 16-18 h and 6-8 h before slaughter (group 1); food withheld for 16-18 h, but water available ad libitum (group 2); food available ad libitum, but water withheld for 6-8 h (group 3); food and water available ad libitum (group 4). The pH₂₄ h (pH of meat at 24 h postmortem) increased following fasting. Withholding food or water decreased the lightness (L*-value) of meat after storage for 24 h. Group 2 had the highest redness value (a*-value). Drip loss, ripe meat ratio and tenderness were more affected by withholding water than by withholding food. Water content and intramuscular fat content were not affected by the treatment conditions (P < 0.05). Group 2 had the lowest drip loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force value, and the highest ripe meat ratio. Therefore, the best-quality rabbit meat can be obtained by withholding food for 16-18 h before slaughter, but allowing access to water ad libitum. Rabbit meat has become increasingly popular because of its high nutritional value. However, relatively little is known about the factors that affect the quality of rabbit meat, as especially few investigations have considered the effects of pre-slaughter conditions on rabbit meat quality. We were interested in knowing the effects of withholding food and/or water on rabbit meat quality, and have done some research in this field. We found that the best-quality rabbit meat can be obtained by withholding food for 16-18 h before slaughter, but allowing access to water ad libitum. This finding could be a reference value for rabbit meat production.