A simplified and cost-effective enrichment protocol for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from retail broiler meat without microaerobic incubation

The number of Campylobacter positive subsamples were similar for A and M when all samples were combined (P = 0.81) and when samples were analyzed by product (breast: P = 0.75; thigh: P = 1.00). Oxygen sensors showed that DO values in the broth were around 6 ppm and O2 values in the head space were 14-16% throughout incubation. PFGE demonstrated high genomic similarity of isolates in the majority of the samples in which isolates were obtained from subsamples A and M. RISA and DGGE results showed a large variability in the bacterial populations that could be attributed to sample-to-sample variations and not enrichment conditions (aerobic or microaerobic). These data also suggested that current sampling protocols are not optimized to determine the true number of Campylobacter positive samples in retail boiler meat.Decreased DO in enrichment broths is naturally achieved. This simplified, cost-effective enrichment protocol with aerobic incubation could be incorporated into reference methods for the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from retail broiler meat.Campylobacteriosis in the most common foodborne disease in European countries, with an overall incidence of 47.6 cases per 100,000 population [1]; in Canada, with 36.1 cases every 100,000 person-years [2]; and the third most important bacterial foodborne diseases in the US [3]. Campylobacter spp. are found still at high prevalence in retail broiler carcasses in the US [4; 5], and the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from clinical and food samples has always been done using microaerobic conditions, generally 85% N2, 10% CO2 and 5% O2, during the enrichment of the samples and during the incubation of plate media. Different methods have been developed to generate microaerobic atmospheres and for a small number of samples, sachets that generate CO2 are commonly used [6]. If a larger number of samples are processed weekly, the evacuation-replacement is a more economical alternative. In this system, the air in the jar is partia