Campylobacter fetus ssp. jejuni: Recovery Methodology and Isolation from Lamb Carcasses

Campylobacter fetus ssp. jejuni has increasingly been implicated as the causative agent in human cases of gastroenteritis. The first account of C. jejuni isolation from red meats—lamb carcasses—is reported. Recovery of Campylobacter from meat surfaces was tested as follows: selective agar plates consisted of tryptic soy agar, 5% lysed defibrinated horse blood, 10 mg/L vancomycin, 2500 units/L polymyxin B, 5 mg/L trimethoprim lactate, and 15 mg/L cephalothin (Keflin; VPTK: plates). These VPTK plates were incubated at 35°C for 72 hr in a gas atmosphere of 5% O2, 10% CO2, and 85% N2. With these selective elements, recovery from meat surfaces inoculated with a calculated 32 Campylobacter cells per cm2 was accomplished in 5 of 5 replicate tests. At levels of 3.2 and 0.3 cells of Campylobacter per cm2, recoveries were accomplished in 2 of 5 replicate tests at each inoculum level.