Isolation of Campylobacter spp. from slaughtered cattle and swine on blood-free selective medium

The charcoal-cefazolin-sodium deoxycholate agar (CCDA) was compared with Butzler agar for selectivity of campylobacters from fecal samples. A total of 279 samples of cecal contents from 176 cattle and 103 pigs slaughtered in Saitama were examined. Fifty-five (31.3%) cattle were found to contain campylobacters by the direct plating culture on CCDA plates, compared with 29 (16.5%) on Butzler agar plates. The positive rates of pig samples on CCDA and Butzler agar were very high, being 96 (93.2%) and 86 (83.5%), respectively. After enrichment culture of 107 cattle specimens in Preston, CEM or Bu 10 broth, the isolation rate on CCDA was also higher (p < 0.01) than that on Butzler agar after enrichment in any medium. These results indicate that CCDA medium is easy to handle without blood and, as to this study shows, is superior to Butzler agar for isolation of Campylobacter species from fecal samples.