Campylobacter: detection by latex agglutination techniques

The traditional methods for the isolation and confirmation of foodborne pathogens usually consist of (pre)enrichment followed by isolation on selective media, subculturing of suspect colonies on nonselective media, and, finally, confirmation of isolates. The traditional confirmations might take too long for practical purposes. Therefore, several rapid tests have been developed to reduce the time needed for confirmation of pathogens. Latex agglutination assays provide a quick and accurate way to confirm colonies obtained by the traditional isolation procedure for Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter lari. The methods are easy to perform, do not require any expensive equipment, and the results are immediately available