A method for the growth and recovery of 17 species of Campylobacter and its subsequent application to inoculated beef.

The aim of this study was to develop a universal cultural protocol, which could facilitate the growth of 17 species and 3 subspecies of Campylobacter. Enrichment media including Campylobacter Enrichment Broth (CEB) and Bolton Broth were tested against a panel of Campylobacter strains (n=53) encompassing 17 species and 3 subspecies, under a gas atmosphere containing hydrogen (2.5% O(2), 7% H(2), 10% CO(2), and 80.5% N(2)). The impact of enrichment conditions on cell motility was also investigated using fluorescent microscopy. Membrane filtration was examined as a means of selectively recovering Campylobacter from enrichment media on two different non-selective agars, Anaerobe Basal Agar (ABA) and Tryptose Blood Agar (TBA). The results showed that enrichment in CEB for 24 h at 37°C under a modified gas atmosphere followed by centrifugation and membrane filtration onto ABA allowed recovery of all species (53 strains) of Campylobacter from inoculated meat samples. After 24 h enrichment, there were higher levels of motile Campylobacter in CEB than in Bolton broth and it is proposed that this attribute aided the passage of the Campylobacter through the membrane filter. The results of this study provide a simple, but effective method for the growth and recovery of a wide range of diverse Campylobacter spp. from a meat matrix using common cultural parameters.