Antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium botulinum group III field strains isolated in Europe from animal outbreaks.

Neurotoxins produced by Clostridium (C.) botulinum group III are responsible for the majority of botulism outbreaks occurring in animals and in this study we report the drug susceptibility of 71 field strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 13 antimicrobials was established through the agar dilution method.

Evaluation of methods for detection of Campylobacter in raw milk: A multi-country study.

Raw milk is considered a high-risk source of Campylobacter due to faecal contamination from healthy cattle and farm environments, thus linking raw milk consumption to global outbreaks. Detection of Campylobacter in raw milk poses challenges due to low contamination levels and antibacterial properties of the milk. Culture-based protocols for Campylobacter detection in milk vary, mainly with regard to pH adjustment and the choice of enrichment broth.

European Union Reference Laboratories support the National food, feed and veterinary Reference Laboratories with rolling out whole genome sequencing in Europe.

The Inter European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs) Working Group on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) involves eight EURLs for microbiological food and feed hazards and has been working since 2017 to promote the adoption of NGS by the National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) in the European Union. This work illustrates the results of the first 5 years of activity. By working together, the EURLs involved have released guidance documents for assisting NRLs in all the steps of NGS, helping the transition from classical molecular methods towards whole genome sequencing while ensuring harmonization, with the final aim of improving preparedness in the use of NGS to characterize microbial hazards and trace the sources of infection.

Validation of PCR methods for confirmation and species identification of thermotolerant Campylobacter as part of EN ISO 10272 - Microbiology of the food chain - Horizontal method for detection and enumeration of Campylobacter spp.

This article describes the outline and organisation of the validation of three multiplex PCR methods for species identification and/or confirmation of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. The three PCR methods were validated against the reference method described in the EN ISO standard 10272:2017. The results of the PCR methods were compared against the reference method in a method comparison study and an interlaboratory study based on EN ISO 16140-6:2019.