Real-time PCR assay for rapid detection and quantification of Campylobacter jejuni on chicken rinses from poultry processing plant

Bacterial concentration and Campylobacter spp. quantification differ when fresh or ultra-frozen samples are analysed over time using molecular biology and culture-based methods

The study aimed to delineate the robustness of the culture-based and molecular biology methods to assess the total bacterial concentration and Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) quantification in caecal content, analysed as fresh or after being stored immediately at ultra-low (-80°C) temperature at different time points (for 3, 7, 14, 28 and 62 days post collection). The caecal content was collected from birds that were artificially colonised with C. jejuni (in-vivo), and quantification was performed using both colony-forming unit (CFU) and qPCR. The results showed that storage time affected the output of culture-based analyses but mostly did not alter concentration retrieved via qPCR. After an initial ~4.5 log₁₀ reduction in CFU observed from fresh (day 0) to frozen samples, bacterial concentration retrieved with culture-based methods seemed to be constant in samples frozen for 3 to 62 days, indicating a possible threshold for C. jejuni loss of viability due to effect of storage temperature. Ranking order analyses, revealed that the molecular biology technique was able to attribute somewhat the same relative C. jejuni concentrations to the samples analysed via qPCR. However, day 0 measurements from culture-based methods were associated with the absence of or negatively weak correlations with the rest of the time points, but ranking order was maintained from day 3 onwards. On the other hand, ranking order correlations were less constant when measuring total bacterial concentration through qPCR. The study suggests that if biological samples can’t be analysed as fresh (immediately after collection) and have to be stored prior to analysis, then storage at -80°C samples be recommended to avoid the temporal-dependent effects on C. jejuni concentrations. In addition, irrespective of the method of analysis, an initial loss of CFU must be factored in when interpreting the results obtained from frozen samples.

Improving the Quality and Safety of Fresh Camel Meat Contaminated with Campylobacter jejuni Using Citrox, Chitosan, and Vacuum Packaging to Extend Shelf Life

Simple Summary

This study aimed to investigate the influence of using 1% or 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of Campylobacter jejuni in camel meat slices vacuum-packed and stored at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days. The shelf life of camel meat was 30 days longer using 1% or 2% Citrox in combination with 1% chitosan than when using Citrox alone. The reductions ranged from 4.0 to 3.5 logarithmic cycles during the storage period at both 4 and 10 °C. The quality of camel meat treated with Citrox plus chitosan was also better than that of the control meat and of meat treated with 0.85% NaCl.

Abstract

Camel meat is one of the most consumed meats in Arab countries. The use of natural antimicrobial agents to extend the shelf life of fresh camel meat, control Campylobacter jejuni contamination, and preserve meat quality is preferred. In this study, we determined the antimicrobial effects of using 1% or 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of C. jejuni in vitro and on camel meat samples during storage at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days in vacuum packaging. We determined the total viable count (TVC (cfu/g)), total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) content, and pH of the treated camel meat samples every three days during storage. The shelf lives of camel meat samples treated with 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan were longer than those of camel meat samples treated with 1% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan at both the 4 and 10 °C storage temperatures, with TVCs of <100 cfu/g after the first ten days and six days of storage at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The addition of Citrox (1% and 2%) and 1% chitosan to camel meat samples and the application of vacuum storage were more effective than using Citrox (1% and 2%) alone and led to a reduction in C. jejuni in approximately 4.0 and 3.5 log cycles at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that using a Citrox-chitosan combination improved the quality of camel meat and enhanced the long-term preservation of fresh meat for up to or more than 30 days at 4 °C.

Antibody-conjugated ferromagnetic nanoparticles with lateral flow test strip assay for rapid detection of Campylobacter jejuni in poultry samples

The aim of this study was to develop a nanoparticle-based cell capture system combined with a lateral flow test strip (LFT) assay for rapid detection of Campylobacter jejuni from poultry samples. The developed assay was bench-marked against the standard modified Charcoal Cefoperazone Deoxycholate Agar (mCCDA) method according to ISO16140:2003 procedures. The synthesized ferromagnetic nanoparticles (FMNs) were modified with glutaraldehyde, then functionalized with polyclonal antibodies for specific C. jejuni capture and concentration from poultry samples. After lysing captured cells, DNA from C. jejuni was amplified by PCR using the primers designed to target the hipO gene, and the PCR amplicons were detected with the lateral flow test strip assay. Following the ISO16140:2003 guidelines, the relative detection limit, and the inclusivity and exclusivity tests were determined. The results showed that the limit of detection (LOD) of the assay was 10⁰ or 1 cfu/ml with C. jejuni in pure culture and 10¹-10² cfu/ml with target cells spiked in poultry sample. In addition, the inclusivity and exclusivity tests were found to be 100%. Using field chicken samples (n = 60), the assay showed relative accuracy, relative specificity, and relative sensitivity of 96.67%, 100% and 93.33%, respectively. The positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV), and the kappa index of concordance (k) were calculated as 100% and 93.75%, and 0.93, respectively. The developed assay required approximately 3 h to complete and gave results comparable to those analyzed by the standard culture method, which required 5-7 days. The assay is rapid, easy-to-use, and has potential to be directly applied to C. jejuni detection in various categories of poultry samples.

New Approaches on Quantification of Campylobacter jejuni in Poultry Samples: The Use of Digital PCR and Real-time PCR against the ISO Standard Plate Count Method

Campylobacteriosis is the most frequently reported bacterial food-borne illness in the European Union and contaminated broiler meat is considered the most important source of infection in humans. The aim of the present study was to evaluate real-time PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) for quantification of Campylobacter jejuni in 75 broiler neck-skin samples collected from a poultry slaughterhouse, and to compare them with the ISO 10272-2 standard plate count method. For qPCR standard curve, C. jejuni-negative neck-skin samples were spiked with C. jejuni suspension with a known number of bacterial cells. The observed CFU/g values by qPCR correlated greatly with the expected values and qPCR showed good performance with the reliable limit of detection (rLOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of three and 31 target copies per reaction, respectively. However, both rLOD (1219 CFU/g) and LOQ (12,523 CFU/g) were beyond the EFSA-proposed critical limit of 500-1,000 CFU/g of neck skin. Although C. jejuni cell counts were ≤1,000 CFU/g in only 7/75 samples by plate counting, they were ≤LOQ in 60/75 and ≤rLOD in 26/75 (≤1,000 CFU/g in 24/75) samples by qPCR. A strong and statistically significant correlation was observed between qPCR and dPCR. Both PCR-based methods correlated significantly with the plate count method; however, the correlation was moderate. Using the Bland-Altman analysis, an average agreement was noted between all three methods, although with a large standard deviation. A significant bias toward overestimation in dPCR was observed, probably due to the relatively high number of false positive calls. The linear dynamic range was comparable in both PCR-based methods; however, qPCR proved to be more suitable for routine use. In the future, the establishment of a reliable molecular quantification of C. jejuni in poultry samples showing a wide range of contamination levels down to the proposed critical limit is needed to enable time- and cost-effective surveillance throughout all stages in the food production chain. As both rLOD and LOQ were beyond this limit, a modification of the procedure is suggested to include less sample dilution prior to DNA extraction to enable PCR-based quantification of C. jejuni at the proposed microbiological criteria.

Rapid identification of Campylobacter jejuni from poultry carcasses and slaughtering environment samples by real-time PCR

The objective of this study was to develop a real-time PCR assay for rapid identification of Campylobacter jejuni and to apply the method in analyzing samples from poultry processing. A C. jejuni-specific primer set targeting a portion of the C. jejuni hippuricase gene was developed. The specificity of the newly designed primer pair was verified using 5 C. jejuni strains and 20 other bacterial strains. Sensitivity was determined to be as low as 1 genome copy per reaction. A total of 73 samples were collected at different sites along the processing line during 2 visits to a poultry slaughterhouse and were examined by direct plating onto modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar or after enrichment in Bolton broth followed by plating on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar. The newly developed real-time PCR assay was used to identify the presumptive colonies as belonging to C. jejuni. A real-time PCR assay targeting 16S ribosomal RNA was also applied to determine Campylobacter spp. prevalence. Results from the real-time PCR analysis indicated considerable variability in Campylobacter contamination, with incidence rates of 72.7 and 27.6% for sampling days A and B, respectively. Campylobacter was isolated from 100% of prescalded and preeviscerated carcasses on sampling day A. In contrast, on sampling day B, the highest number of Campylobacter-positive carcasses was recovered after evisceration (60%). The chilling process significantly reduced (P < 0.05) Campylobacter population, but the percentage of positive samples on sampling day A increased to 80%. All samples collected from the processing environment, except scalding tank 3 and the prechiller and chiller tanks, were 100% positive on day A, whereas no campylobacters were isolated from machinery on sampling day B. Our results revealed the widespread of C. jejuni in poultry processing and proved that the newly developed real-time PCR assay is a simple, specific, and inexpensive method for rapid C. jejuni identification. The newly developed PCR method can be easily used in laboratories for reliable and unambiguous identification of C. jejuni in poultry samples.

Detection, identification and quantification of Campylobacter jejuni, coli and lari in food matrices all at once using multiplex qPCR

BACKGROUND

Thermotolerant Campylobacter jejuni, coli and lari are recognized as leading food-borne pathogens causing an acute bacterial enteritis worldwide. Due to narrow spectrum of their biochemical activity, it is very complicated to distinguish between individual species. For reliable risk assessment, proper incidence evaluation or swift sample analysis regarding individual species, a demand for simple and rapid method for their distinguishing is reasonable. In this study, we evaluated a reliable and simple approach for their simultaneous detection, species identification and quantification using multiplex qPCR.

RESULTS

Species specific primers and hydrolysis probes are directed to hippuricase gene of C. jejuni, serine hydroxymethyltransferase gene of C. coli and peptidase T gene of C. lari. Efficiencies of reactions were 90.85% for C. jejuni, 96.97% for C. coli and 92.89% for C. lari. At 95.00% confidence level and when cut off is set to 38 cycles, limits of detection are in all cases under 10 genome copies per reaction which is very appreciated since it is known that infectious doses are very low.

CONCLUSIONS

Proposed assay was positively validated on different food matrices (chicken wing rinses, chicken juice and homogenized fried chicken strips). No inhibition of PCR reaction occurred. Assay was evaluated in accordance with MIQE handbook.

Campylobacter spp. as a Foodborne Pathogen: A Review

Campylobacter is well recognized as the leading cause of bacterial foodborne diarrheal disease worldwide. Symptoms can range from mild to serious infections of the children and the elderly and permanent neurological symptoms. The organism is a cytochrome oxidase positive, microaerophilic, curved Gram-negative rod exhibiting corkscrew motility and is carried in the intestine of many wild and domestic animals, particularly avian species including poultry. Intestinal colonization results in healthy animals as carriers. In contrast with the most recent published reviews that cover specific aspects of Campylobacter/campylobacteriosis, this broad review aims at elucidating and discussing the (i) genus Campylobacter, growth and survival characteristics; (ii) detection, isolation and confirmation of Campylobacter; (iii) campylobacteriosis and presence of virulence factors; and (iv) colonization of poultry and control strategies.

Detection of pathogens in foods: the current state-of-the-art and future directions

Over the last fifty years, microbiologists have developed reliable culture-based techniques to detect food borne pathogens. Although these are considered to be the "gold-standard," they remain cumbersome and time consuming. Despite the advent of rapid detection methods such as ELISA and PCR, it is clear that reduction and/or elimination of cultural enrichment will be essential in the quest for truly real-time detection methods. As such, there is an important role for bacterial concentration and purification from the sample matrix as a step preceding detection, so-called pre-analytical sample processing. This article reviews recent advancements in food borne pathogen detection and discusses future methods with a focus on pre-analytical sample processing, culture independent methods, and biosensors.

Rapid quantification of viable Campylobacter bacteria on chicken carcasses, using real-time PCR and propidium monoazide treatment, as a tool for quantitative risk assessment

A number of intervention strategies against Campylobacter-contaminated poultry focus on postslaughter reduction of the number of cells, emphasizing the need for rapid and reliable quantitative detection of only viable Campylobacter bacteria. We present a new and rapid quantitative approach to the enumeration of food-borne Campylobacter bacteria that combines real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) with simple propidium monoazide (PMA) sample treatment. In less than 3 h, this method generates a signal from only viable and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) Campylobacter bacteria with an intact membrane. The method's performance was evaluated by assessing the contributions to variability by individual chicken carcass rinse matrices, species of Campylobacter, and differences in efficiency of DNA extraction with differing cell inputs. The method was compared with culture-based enumeration on 50 naturally infected chickens. The cell contents correlated with cycle threshold (C(T)) values (R(2) = 0.993), with a quantification range of 1 x 10(2) to 1 x 10(7) CFU/ml. The correlation between the Campylobacter counts obtained by PMA-PCR and culture on naturally contaminated chickens was high (R(2) = 0.844). The amplification efficiency of the Q-PCR method was not affected by the chicken rinse matrix or by the species of Campylobacter. No Q-PCR signals were obtained from artificially inoculated chicken rinse when PMA sample treatment was applied. In conclusion, this study presents a rapid tool for producing reliable quantitative data on viable Campylobacter bacteria in chicken carcass rinse. The proposed method does not detect DNA from dead Campylobacter bacteria but recognizes the infectious potential of the VBNC state and is thereby able to assess the effect of control strategies and provide trustworthy data for risk assessment.

Comparison of real-time PCR assays for detection, quantification, and differentiation of campylobacter jejuni and campylobacter coli in broiler neck skin samples

We tested the use of multiplex real-time PCR for detection and quantification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli on broiler carcass neck skin samples collected during 2008 from slaughterhouses in Switzerland. Results from an established TaqMan assay based on two different targets (hipO and ceuE for C. jejuni and C. coli, respectively) were corroborated with data from a newly developed assay based on a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the fusA gene, which allows differentiation between C. jejuni and C. coli. Both multiplex real-time PCRs were applied simultaneously for direct detection, differentiation, and quantification of Campylobacter from 351 neck skin samples and compared with culture methods. There was good correlation in detection and enumeration between real-time PCR results and quantitative culture, with real-time PCR being more sensitive. Overall, 251 (71.5%) of the samples were PCR positive for Campylobacter, with 211 (60.1%) in the hipO-ceuE assays, 244 (69.5%) in the fusA assay, and 204 (58.1%) of them being positive in both PCR assays. Thus, the fusA assay was similarly sensitive to the enrichment culture (72.4% positive); however, it is faster and allows for quantification. In addition, real-time PCR allowed for species differentiation; roughly 60% of positive samples contained C. jejuni, less than 10% C. coli, and more than 30% contained both species. Real-time PCR proved to be a suitable method for direct detection, quantification, and differentiation of Campylobacter from carcasses, and could permit time-efficient surveillance of these zoonotic agents.

Simultaneous identification of seven foodborne pathogens and Escherichia coli (pathogenic and nonpathogenic) using capillary electrophoresis-based single-strand conformation polymorphism coupled with multiplex PCR

The objective of this study was to develop a novel technique for parallel analysis of eight important foodborne microbes using capillary electrophoresis-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (CE-SSCP) coupled with multiplex PCR. Specific primers for multiplex PCR amplification of the 16S rRNA gene were designed, corresponding to eight species of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus, for the species-specific identification and optimal separation of their PCR products in subsequent analysis by CE-SSCP. Multiplex PCR conditions including annealing temperature, extension time, the number of PCR cycles, and primer concentrations were then optimized for simultaneous detection of all target foodborne bacteria. The diagnostic system using CE-SSCP combined with multiplex PCR developed here can be used for rapid investigation of causative agents of foodborne illness. The simplicity and high sensitivity of the method may lead to improved management of safety and illness related to food.

Direct detection ofCampylobacter jejuniin human stool samples by real-time PCR

Our purpose was to establish a quick and accurate real-time PCR (rtPCR) method to detect Campylobacter jejuni directly from human diarrheal stool as an alternative to traditional culture methods. To determine the consistency of rtPCR and culture method, 256 clinical diarrheal stool samples and 50 normal stool samples from healthy individuals were examined, and the whole process was double-blinded. Our data showed that the sensitivity of rtPCR in pure cultures and stool was 102CFU·mL–1and 103CFU·g–1, respectively. Of the 256 diarrheal samples, 10 specimens were successfully detected by both methods, whereas two specimens were PCR positive but culture negative. No positive results were found by these two methods in 50 normal specimens. Our data suggested that rtPCR was convenient in operation and time-saving (turnaround time 3.5–4 h), so it could be used for clinical diagnostic and epidemiological purposes.

Development of a strain-specific molecular method for quantitating individual campylobacter strains in mixed populations

The identification of sites resulting in cross-contamination of poultry flocks in the abattoir and determination of the survival and persistence of campylobacters at these sites are essential for the development of intervention strategies aimed at reducing the microbial burden on poultry at retail. A novel molecule-based method, using strain- and genus-specific oligonucleotide probes, was developed to detect and enumerate specific campylobacter strains in mixed populations. Strain-specific oligonucleotide probes were designed for the short variable regions (SVR) of the flaA gene in individual Campylobacter jejuni strains. A 16S rRNA Campylobacter genus-specific probe was also used. Both types of probes were used to investigate populations of campylobacters by colony lift hybridization. The specificity and proof of principle of the method were tested using strains with closely related SVR sequences and mixtures of these strains. Colony lifts of campylobacters were hybridized sequentially with up to two labeled strain-specific probes, followed by the generic 16S rRNA probe. SVR probes were highly specific, differentiating down to 1 nucleotide in the target sequence, and were sufficiently sensitive to detect colonies of a single strain in a mixed population. The 16S rRNA probe detected all Campylobacter spp. tested but not closely related species, such as Arcobacter skirrowi and Helicobacter pullorum. Preliminary field studies demonstrated the application of this technique to target strains isolated from poultry transport crate wash tank water. This method is quantitative, sensitive, and highly specific and allows the identification and enumeration of selected strains among all of the campylobacters in environmental samples.

Quantification and differentiation of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in raw chicken meats using a real-time PCR method

Campylobacter species are one of the most common causes of bacterial diarrhea in humans worldwide. The consumption of foods contaminated with two Campylobacter species, C. jejuni and C. coli, is usually associated with most of the infections in humans. In this study, a rapid, reliable, and sensitive multiplex real-time quantitative PCR was developed for the simultaneous detection, identification, and quantification of C. jejuni and C. coli. In addition, the developed method was applied to the 50 samples of raw chicken meat collected from retail stores in Korea. C. jejuni and C. coli were detected in 88 and 86% of the samples by real-time quantitative PCR and the conventional microbiological method, respectively. The specificity of the primer and probe sets was confirmed with 30 C. jejuni, 20 C. coli, and 35 strains of other microbial species. C. jejuni and C. coli could be detected with high specificity in less than 4 h, with a detection limit of 1 log CFU/ml by the developed real-time PCR. The average counts (log CFU per milliliter) of C. jejuni or C. coli obtained by the conventional methods and by the real-time PCR assay were statistically correlated with a correlation coefficient (R2) between 0.73 and 0.78. The real-time PCR assay developed in this study is useful for screening for the presence and simultaneous differential quantification of C. jejuni and C. coli.