Rapid and sensitive detection of Campylobacter spp. from chicken using the polymerase chain reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a target region in the flaA gene of C. coli VC167 flagellin was used to detect Campylobacter spp. in chicken without an enrichment culture. DNA extracted from 79 cloacal swabs from broiler chickens gave an amplification signal in the 450-bp region upon PCR. DNA extracted from 9 enteric and 6 non-enteric organisms included in the assay as negative controls failed to hybridize with the probe. Direct plating of all cloacal specimens on Campylobacter blood agar plates did not yield any growth. The PCR assay was sensitive enough to detect between 35-120 bacteria per PCR and thus provide a basis for detecting Campylobacter spp. in poultry.