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Use of Hugh and Leifson’s medium as a simple screening test to aid in the differentiation of Arcobacter spp. from background flora during their isolation from foodstuffs
Author(s) -
Hamill S.,
Neill S.D.,
Madden R.H.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2008.02399.x
Subject(s) - arcobacter , isolation (microbiology) , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , contamination , veterinary medicine , food science , bacteria , campylobacter , medicine , ecology , genetics
Aims: To investigate the suitability of Hugh and Leifson’s medium (HLM) as the basis of a simple screening test to differentiate between contaminants and Arcobacter spp. during their isolation from foodstuffs. Methods and Results: Characterized Arcobacter spp. were obtained from recognized culture collections. Wild‐type isolates of Arcobacter spp. and contaminants were obtained using published isolation protocols. Retail packs of red meats were used as the source of the isolates. Eighteen defined Arcobacter spp. gave no reaction on HLM, as did 10 local wild‐type isolates. Overall 163 contaminants were studied for oxidative reactions on HLM and 86% of isolates demonstrated this property. Conclusions: HLM can usefully serve as a simple and effective screening test to differentiate between Arcobacter spp. and contaminants. Significance and Impact of the Study: Arcobacter isolation procedures are still being developed, and no effective diagnostic media currently exist. Rapidly excluding most contaminants can markedly increase the efficiency of isolation procedures by removing the need for extensive biotyping or the requirement to isolate DNA and conduct PCR tests.