Purpose: The purpose of this internal AOAC Performance Tested MethodSM evaluation, conducted at Food Safety Net Services, was to compare the bioMérieux VIDAS® Campylobacter (CAM) method to the USDA/FSIS MLG and ISO reference methods for the detection of Campylobacter in chicken carcass rinses, turkey carcass sponges, raw pork, raw chicken breast, processed chicken nuggets.
Methods: The comparative food studies consisted of chicken carcass rinses, turkey carcass sponges, raw pork, raw chicken breast, and processed chicken nuggets. Twenty replicates of one fractional inoculation level and five uninoculated controls for each method and matrix were evaluated in this study. For the alternative method, samples were enriched in the proprietary ready-to-use broth, the CFB broth, for 48 hours at 42 °C prior to testing on VIDAS®. Microaerobic atmosphere was generated using a specific stomacher bag type, the combibag, including a microaerobic generator. This validation study also included the use of an agar plate, CampyFood Agar, for confirmation of CAM presumptive results.
Results: Overall, the VIDAS® CAM method detected 66 confirmed positive samples versus 60 for the reference methods. The VIDAS® CAM test method was equivalent to the USDA method for the detection of Campylobacter in chicken rinsates and turkey swabs and equivalent to the ISO method for the detection of Campylobacter in raw chicken, processed chicken and raw pork, using the chi-square test at 5% level.
Significance: In the PTM validation study the VIDAS® CAM method demonstrated reliability as a rapid, qualitative method for the detection of Campylobacter in selected foods.