IDENTIFICATION METHODS FOR CAMPYLOBACTERS, HELICOBACTERS, AND RELATEDORGANISMS

The organisms which are referred to as campylobacteria are associated with a diverse range of diseases and habitats and are important from b oth clinical and economic perspectives. Accurate identification of the se organisms is desirable for deciding upon appropriate therapeutic me asures, and also for furthering our understanding of their pathology a nd epidemiology. However, the identification process is made difficult because of the complex and rapidly evolving taxonomy, fastidious natu re, and biochemical inertness of these bacteria. These problems have r esulted in a proliferation of phenotypic and genotypic methods for ide ntifying members of this group. The purpose of this review is to summa rize the problems associated with identifying campylobacteria, critica lly appraise the methods that have been used for this purpose, and dis cuss prospects for improvements in this field.