Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #78720
Title: SPECIFIC DETECTION OF CAMPYLOBACTER LARI BY PCR

Author
item OYARZABAL, O - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item WESLEY, IRENE
item BARBAREE, J - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
item LAUERMAN, L - C.S.ROBERTS VET DIAGN LAB
item CONNER, D - AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Microbiological Methods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/26/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Campylobacter lari was first described from seagulls with subsequent recoveries made from poultry and water. Campylobacter lari is a human foodborne pathogen which may cause enteritis and diarrhea. It is closely related to C. jejuni and C. coli. Current methods to identify C. lari are limited, time-consuming and may yield incorrect results. We developed a DNA test based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to distinguish C. lari from other closely related microbes. The test is accurate, simple to perform, and the results are easily interpreted. The assay requires less than 8 hours to complete, compared to several days or weeks for current speciation of C. lari. The PCR test will benefit diagnostic laboratories in identifying C. lari as a cause of human foodborne illness. Information gained from use of this test will benefit action agencies, such as FSIS, APHIS, and FDA to assay risks of C. lari infection in humans following consumption of undercooked poultry products.

Technical Abstract: The thermotolerant Campylobacter species, which grow at 42 deg C and cause human foodborne illness, are C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. lari. The differentiation of C. lari relies on few biochemical tests. Therefore, the incidence and transmission of C. lari have not been well studied. Two PCR primers that specifically amplify a 579-bp segment of the 16S rRNA gene of C. lari were designed. No PCR product was detected when DNA from other strains of Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter, Escherichia, Salmonella, or Listeria was used as the template. Rapid and accurate identification by PCR may aid in the understanding of the incidence and epidemiology of C. lari.