title: Comparison between conventional and qPCR methods for enumerating Campylobacter jejuni in a poultry processing plant.
abstract: Campylobacter jejuni is worldwide recognized as a human foodborne pathogen. It is widely present in poultry meat and slaughterhouses, but little is known about its fate during the processing of poultry meat preparations. In stress conditions, this pathogen can enter into a viable but non-culturable state, where quantitative PCR (qPCR) becomes more convenient for its detection. In this study, two different pairs of primers, targeting the rpoB and the hipO genes, were compared for its detection and quantification by PCR. Two calibration curves were prepared: one for the meat samples and the other for the environmental samples. rpoB primers showed higher sensitivity with a quantification limit of 1 log cfu/g or ml. Microbial Assessment Scheme (MAS) was used to select the Critical Sampling Locations (CSLs) along the poultry processing line. Forty-six out of 48 samples were positive by qPCR after enrichment (t = 48 ) while only 6 samples were positive by ISO 10272-1:2006. Forty-three samples showed positive signal without enrichment (t = 0 h), however only 16 samples could be quantified. These results showed the high prevalence of C. jejuni in the poultry industry and the need for new, rapid and sensitive techniques, such as qPCR, for the detection and quantification of C. jejuni in meat and environmental samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, University of Burgos, Burgos, Spain.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Melero
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cocolin
authors.forename: Kalliopi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rantsiou
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jaime
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rovira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058491:Bacterial Load / Q000379:methods*; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005511:Food Handling; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D011200:Poultry; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*