Comparison of Methods and Integrated Application for Efficient Campylobacter Detection in Production

Abstract

Campylobacter is a widespread foodborne pathogen that causes significant contamination across various samples. Rapid and accurate detection of Campylobacter enables timely diagnosis and assessment of contamination, helping to control the spread of the pathogen and ensure food safety. However, the heterogeneity of sample matrices and variability in contamination levels throughout the food supply chain pose substantial challenges to the efficient detection of Campylobacter. In this study, the conventional culture method was improved through the optimization of antibiotic combinations, the A6, A4, and A3 media achieved the highest detection concordance for low (99.04%), medium (98.69%), and high (99.29%) cleanliness samples, respectively. These media also yielded colony recovery counts equivalent to those obtained from antibiotic-free medium, making them suitable for application across the entire chain. The detection sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of alternative molecular and immunological methods were subsequently evaluated using the optimized culture method for validation. Nucleic acid-based methods generally exhibited high sensitivity (0.98–1.00) and were suitable for use in the upstream and midstream stages, facilitating rapid exclusion of negative samples. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed good accuracy (0.95–0.98) and allowed identification of contaminating bacteria at the species level, while integration with qPCR facilitated rapid assessment of contamination status of the matrices. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification and colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay offered on-site visualization of results with short detection times and operational simplicity. They also exhibited good accuracy for samples of medium cleanliness (0.80–0.97), making them well-suited to terminal retail applications. Collectively, this study compared and analyzed the applicability of culture-based, nucleic acid-based, and immunological detection methods for samples of varying cleanliness, proposing a comprehensive monitoring strategy to facilitate efficient and accurate detection of Campylobacter in the food supply chain.