title: Recovery of Campylobacter from human faeces stored at 4 degrees C.
abstract: Six hundred and thirteen fresh diarrhoeal faeces were inoculated on Skirrow blood agar (SK), on Preston blood free agar (PBF), and in Campy-thioglycolate broth (CT). After 24 h of storage at 4 degrees C, specimens were again inoculated on SK and PBF, and in Campylobacter enrichment broth (CEB). CT tubes were placed overnight at 4 degrees C. Plates and CEB tubes were incubated at 43 degrees C in microaerophilic conditions. A total of 68 specimens was positive for campylobacter on direct plating. Sixty-four of them were also recovered after subculturing from CT, and only 51 from CEB. Delayed inoculation of plates after storage of samples at 4 degrees C yielded 57 isolates. The storage of faeces at 4 degrees C for 24 h significantly reduces the number of campylobacter isolates. When samples are not plated immediately we recommend inoculating a CT tube maintained at 4 degrees C overnight as a holding medium.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ladrón de Guevara
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pérez-Pomata
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agulla
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Merino
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Villasante
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Velasco
mesh_terms: D002167:Campylobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003470:Culture Media; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media