Oxoid has launched Brilliance Campycount Agar, a chromogenic medium designed for the identification and enumeration of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in poultry and related samples.
Brilliance Campycount Agar, which is being showcased at the International Association for Food Protection Fifth European Symposium on Food Safety on 7-9 October 2009 in Berlin, Germany, is said to be highly selective and easy to read.
Campylobacter is a leading cause of enteric disease in most developed countries.
The organism is endemic in many poultry populations; 98 per cent of food-borne infections are caused by C jejuni and C coli.
Although in recent years the prevalence of Campylobacter in poultry has reduced, complete elimination of the organism is unfeasible in the near future.
A more feasible goal is to reduce the incidence of human infection by further reductions in the levels of Campylobacter on the fowl.
In order to bring this about, a shift in industry standards from presence/absence testing to enumeration needs to occur.
The Brilliance Campycount formulation allows accurate enumeration of the loading of C jejuni and C coli on poultry carcasses and related samples.
The medium has been designed to maximise growth of C jejuni and C coli while inhibiting non-target organisms.
When metabolised by the target organisms, an indicator in the medium turns colonies dark red, making all C jejuni and C coli colonies readily identifiable on the transparent medium, in just 48 hours.
Brilliance Campycount Agar is available in ready-to-use 90mm plates.
