Faster Campylobacter Detection at USDA
Campylobacter outbreak investigations may get a boost from USDA research that has hit upon a faster way to identify the foodborne pathogen. Standard methodology requires the better part of a week for lab personnel to isolate the bacteria, which can cause severe illness and death. Now USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have developed a way to identify Campylobacter in less than 24 hours after the bacteria is plated. The process is called hyperspectral imaging, a combination of digital imaging with spectroscopy.
According to a USDA research brief, ARS scientists say samples are placed on solid media in a Petri dish. Hyperspectral imaging provides hundreds of individual wavelength measurements for each image pixel. This "sensing" technology, which was nearly 100 percent accurate with pure cultures of the microorganisms, could be used for early detection of presumptive Campylobacter colonies in cultures of mixed bacteria, USDA said. The researchers are working toward developing a presumptive screening technique to detect Salmonella and Campylobacter in food samples.
According to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 845,000 people a year in the U.S. become infected with Campylobacter. Of those, more than 100 people died.
People infected by Campylobacter jejuni risk the onset of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which can take on several form with a wide range of symptoms. But some of the more commonly encountered effects are limb and respiratory weakness, and loss of reflexes. Research indicates that 20 percent GBS cases may have significant and lasting neurologic effects.
If you or a loved one has contracted Campylobacter from poultry products, raw milk or other food source, contact a Campylobacter lawyer at PritzkerOlsen, P.A., for a free consultation on whether you should pursue a financial claim or possible Campylobacter lawsuit. Our firm currently represents a Pennsylvania man who drank raw milk contaminated with the organism and his severe illness from the bacteria caused him long-term paralysis. Call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete our contact form online and a lawyer will contact you.
