METHODS FOR THE DETECTION OF CAMPYLOBACTER IN SEWAGE - EVALUATION OF EFFICACY OF ENRICHMENT AND ISOLATION MEDIA, APPLICABILITY OF POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AND LATEX AGGLUTINATION ASSAY

In this investigation several combinations of enrichment and isolation media in the conventional Most Probable Number procedure for the isol ation of Campylobacter from sewage are compared. Furthermore, the pote ntials of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay and the Latex Aggl utination Assay (LAA) are assessed for rapid detection and identificat ion of Campylobacter in the culturing procedure for sewage samples. No significant difference in efficacy was observed for the various enric hment broths (Preston Broth (PB) and Charcoal Cefoperazone Deoxycholat e Broth (CCDB)) and isolation media tested (Columbia Agar Base (CAB(+) ), Campylobacter Blood-Free Selective Medium-Modified CCDA-Preston (CC DA), Campylobacter Blood-Free Selective Medium-modified CCDA improved (CCDA(+)) and Campylobacter Agar Base Karmali (KAR)). However, the sel ectivity of the isolation media was not optimal. The LAA had a positiv e predictive value of 39% and therefore, this assay should not be used as a rapid detection method. The PCR culture assay is suitable for th e detection of Campylobacter in sewage enrichments; the method is fast er and has a higher detection ability than the conventional culturing procedure, also when including 4 isolation media. For a qualitative an alysis by conventional culturing 1 ml of the 10(-1) dilution of sewage is preferably enriched, and for the PCR assay raw sewage can be enric hed for qualitatively detecting Campylobacter.