Collaborative study of a method for the detection of Clostridium botulinum and its toxins in foods.

The mouse toxicity and protection technique for the detection and identification of Clostridium botulinum and its toxins in foods was collaboratively studied by 11 laboratories. Each laboratory received 4 samples of cream of mushroom soup; 2 contained spores and toxin of C. botulinum type A, 1 contained spores and toxin of C. botulinum type E, and 1 contained spores of C. sporogenes. The media used were cooked meat medium (beef heart or chopped liver broth) and trypticase peptone glucose yeast extract broth with trypsin. The results indicate that this method has a high degree of repeatability and reproducibility. All 11 laboratories correctly identified the toxins and the nontoxic sample in the food and detected and identified the viable spores in the samples by means of the subsequent cultures. This method has been adopted as official first action.