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. The performance, in terms of inclusivity and exclusivity, of each of the eight PCR targets were comparable to the performance of the reference method: close, equal, or better depending on the target. In total, all three PCR methods were concluded to be equally qualified as the reference method for molecular identification and/or confirmation of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp., C. jejuni, C. coli and C. lari isolated from the food chain and have been included in Amendment 1 of ISO 10272:2017.