Monitoring Campylobacter in the poultry production chain—from culture to genes and beyond

J Microbiol Methods. 2015 May:112:118-25. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2015.03.007. Epub 2015 Mar 11.

Abstract

Improved monitoring tools are important for the control of Campylobacter bacteria in poultry production. Standardized reference culture methods issued by national and international standardization organizations are time-consuming, cumbersome and not amenable to automation for screening of large numbers of samples. The ultimate goal for rapid monitoring of Campylobacter is to prevent contaminated meat from entering the food market. Currently, real-time PCR is fulfilling abovementioned criteria to a certain extent. Further development of real-time PCR, microarray PCR, miniaturized biosensors, chromatographic techniques and DNA sequencing can improve our monitoring capacity at a lower cost. Combined with innovative sampling and sample treatment, these techniques could become realistic options for on-farm and liquid-sample monitoring at slaughterhouses.

Keywords: Campylobacter; Food safety; Pathogen; Poultry; Rapid detection; Zoonoses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Campylobacter / isolation & purification*
  • Campylobacter Infections / microbiology*
  • Campylobacter Infections / veterinary*
  • Food Contamination / analysis
  • Food Handling*
  • Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points / methods
  • Meat / microbiology*
  • Microbiological Techniques / methods*
  • Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / methods*
  • Poultry