Campylobacteriosis

Campylobacter can be detected in stool, body tissue, or fluids. The most common tests for Campylobacter include culture and nucleic acid tests, including like culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory (MSPHL) can test clinical and food specimens for Campylobacter spp.

Clinical Specimens: The MSPHL can perform culture or PCR testing for Campylobacter. Inoculated culture slants, raw stool specimens, and Shiga toxin-positive enrichment broths are acceptable specimen types for culture. Stool in Cary-Blair media is the only acceptable specimen type for the BioFire GI Panel, which can detect C. jejuni, C. coli and C. upsaliensis. Stool should be collected in Cary-Blair media, refrigerated until transported to the laboratory, and shipped on cold packs. Raw stool specimens will only be accepted from city or county health departments, unless there are special circumstances and previous approval has been obtained.

Food Samples: Food samples can be sent chilled to the MSPHL to be tested for Campylobacter as part of an epidemiological investigation. Samples are to be collected and submitted by an official of the local public health agency or state health office. Samples should be collected in their final intact package for testing. If an intact sample of a product is too large to submit to the lab, submit a sterile sample container with at least four ounces of the product to be tested. Prior to collection and submission of food samples, the District Epidemiologists, the Bureau of Environmental Health Services, and the Environmental Bacteriology Unit at the MSPHL should be consulted. For additional information concerning food sample collection or food sample transport visit the MSPHL website at http://health.mo.gov/lab/foodtesting.php [Needs Link] or call the MSPHL - Environmental Bacteriology Unit at (573) 751-3334.