Comparison of Preston agar and a blood-free selective medium for detection of Campylobacter jejuni in food

The present collaborative study compares recovery of Campylobacter jejuni from food in 2 agar media. Six laboratories analyzed 8 samples each of chicken liver inoculated with Campylobacter jejuni. Samples were enriched in Preston broth and isolation was carried out on Preston agar (PA) and campylobacter blood-free selective medium (CBFS), a charcoal-based medium with cefoperazone and amphoteracin as antibiotic supplements. There was no difference in the recovery rate between the 2 agar media; however, the specificity of CBFS was better than that of PA. There was a slightly better growth of campylobacters, and competing organisms were more inhibited on CBFS than on PA.