Optimizing enrichment culture conditions for detecting Helicobacter pylori in foods

The survival and growth of Helicobacter pylori under enrichment conditions in fresh, autoclaved and irradiated ground beef were determined. H. pylori grew in autoclaved ground beef at 37 degrees C under microaerobic conditions in brain heart infusion broth with 7% horse serum at pH 7.3 after 3 to 7 days of lag time but did not grow within 7 days in irradiated (10 kGy) ground beef under the same enrichment conditions. Adjustment of the enrichment broth to pH 5.5 enabled the growth (ca. 2 log10 CFU/ml) of H. pylori within 7 days in the presence of irradiated ground beef and the prolific growth (ca. 3 to 4 log10 CFU/ml) of H. pylori within 3 days in the presence of autoclaved beef. H. pylori in fresh ground beef could not be isolated from enrichment media with antibiotics; however. H. pylori ureA could be detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in such enrichment media after 1 to 3 days of incubation at 37 degrees C. The addition of supplements, i.e., 0.3% mucin, 0.05% ferrous sulfate, and 0.05% sodium pyruvate or 0.008 M urea, or the adjustment of the enrichment broth pH to 5.5 or 4.5 enabled the detection of H. pylori ureA in enrichment media incubated for 1, 2, 3, and/or 7 days at 37 degrees C. H. pylori in sterile milk refrigerated at 4 degrees C at an initial level of 10(6) CFU/ml was inactivated to an undetectable level within 6 days; however, H. pylori was not detected either by a PCR assay or by the plating of enrichment cultures of 120 raw bovine milk samples.