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Title: DETECTION OF CAMPYLOBACTER FROM BROILER CARCASS RINSE SAMPLES USING THE TECRA VISUAL IMMUNOASSAY (VIA)

Author
item COX, J - UNIVERISTY OF NEW S WALES
item Richardson, Larry
item Cray, Paula
item Bailey, Joseph
item Cox Jr, Nelson

Submitted to: International Poultry Forum Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/2/2005
Publication Date: 7/16/2006
Citation: Cox, J.M., Richardson, L.J., Cray, P.J., Bailey, J.S., Cox Jr, N.A. 2006. Detection of campylobacter from broiler carcass rinse samples using the tecra visual immunoassay (via). International Poultry Forum Proceedings. 85(51):198.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter is a major cause of human enteric disease worldwide, including the United States. Poultry meat is considered to be a major vector of transmission of the bacterium, either directly, through consumption of poorly prepared product, or indirectly, through introduction of the bacterium into the food production environment. Efficient detection of Campylobacter is intrinsic to the management of the pathogen during poultry production. The Tecra VIA protocol, enrichment in a proprietary Tecra Campylobacter enrichment broth followed by an ELISA, was compared to a conventional cultural method, with enrichment in Bolton's medium (containing lysed horse blood), followed by plating to Campy Cefex agar. Of the 240 broiler carcass rinses tested, from eight commercial processing plants, the ELISA yielded 201 Campylobacter-positive results while conventional enrichment and plating detected the bacterium in only 168 samples. Plating to Campy Cefex agar of the Tecra enrichment broths yielding positive ELISA results revealed three false-positives. The 44 false-negative results (30 more than the ELISA method) from the conventional method were attributed to suppression of Campylobacter in the enrichment broth, due primarily to overgrowth by the background microflora, as seen by comparison of plates from both enrichment media. Of the negative ELISA results, 14 were shown to be false negative by comparison to the conventional method and of those, 10 came from one plant. All these false negatives came from rinses of carcasses collected toward the end of the production process, suggesting that severely injured Campylobacter may not recover in the Tecra enrichment broth, though very low numbers were detected from similar samples from other plants. Delayed addition (6h) of the antibiotic supplement to the Tecra enrichment broth yielded more positive samples, reinforcing the potential for loss of severely injured cells when the broth is used with antibiotics throughout enrichment. In conclusion, the Tecra enrichment-ELISA method proved to be superior overall to the conventional cultural method for the detection of Campylobacter in chicken carcass rinses.