Serological methods and selective agars to enumerate Campylobacter from broiler carcasses: data from inter- and intralaboratory analyses

• Published in: Journal of food protection 2004-05, Vol.67 (5), p.901-907
• Main Authors: Siragusa, G.R, Line, J.E, Brooks, L.L, Hutchinson, T, Laster, J.D, Apple, R.O
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agar - chemistry; Agglutination Tests; Animal productions; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis; bacterial contamination; Biological and medical sciences; Campylobacter; Campylobacter - immunology; Campylobacter - isolation & purification; chicken carcasses; Chickens - microbiology; Colony Count, Microbial - methods; Culture Media - chemistry; data analysis; food contamination; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Handling - methods; Food industries; Food Microbiology; food pathogens; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; immunologic techniques; isolation; laboratories; Latex Fixation Tests; Meat and meat product industries; methodology; microbial detection; plate count; Prevalence; selective media; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X-67.5.901

Routine analytical means to estimate Campylobacter numbers per milliliter of carcass rinses are needed in high-sample-throughput poultry laboratories. We compared three serological confirmatory tests that were amenable to such a setting when used in conjunction with Campy-Line and Campy-Cefex Campylobacter selective agars. Pre- and post-chlorinated chiller carcass rinse samples were obtained and held on ice, then analyzed 24 h later in two separate laboratories. Presumptive counts on both pre- and postchiller samples from between laboratories on individual agars and between both agars were highly correlated. Agreement among the three serological tests was nearly complete. The use of a premeasured and dried latex anti-Campylobacter antibody agglutination test format was superior to that of either a liquid latex agglutination format or a direct phosphate-buffer microscopic technique in terms of practicality as was the inclusion of an unarmed latex control to detect auto agglutination. A routine procedure for Campylobacter level estimation was suggested. This procedure, when used in conjunction with a serological confirmatory step, should provide processors with a means to assess reductions in numbers per milliliter of carcass rinses versus strictly presence-absence testing.