Prevalence and quantification of viable Campylobacter species in retail chicken: a comparative study using viability digital polymerase chain reaction and conventional culture methods
5 affiliations
- 1Laboratory of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
- 2Education and Research Center for Food Animal Health, Gifu University (GeFAH)
- 3Joint Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University
- 4Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Joint Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University
- 5Department of Microbiology and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Khulna Agricultural University
Abstract
Campylobacter is a major foodborne pathogen and a significant public health concern, frequently associated with the consumption of undercooked poultry. Although conventional microbiological culture remains the gold standard for detection, it often fails to detect bacteria in the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, potentially underestimating the risk to consumers. To address this limitation, we conducted a year-long epidemiological investigation of retail chicken using propidium monoazide-digital polymerase chain reaction (PMA-dPCR). Between February 2025 and January 2026, 120 retail chicken samples were collected from three local supermarkets (10 samples per month). Comparative analysis of PMA-dPCR and conventional culture methods revealed that PMA-dPCR without enhancer yielded a higher overall detection rate (55.0%) than direct culture (43.3%) and enrichment culture (46.7%), whereas PMA-dPCR with enhancer showed a lower detection rate (33.3%). Specifically, the detection of PMA-dPCR-positive/culture-negative samples during multiple months of the study period indicated the presence of membrane-intact Campylobacter populations that may include cells in the VBNC state in the retail poultry supply chain. Although lower detection rates were observed in early spring, PMA-dPCR enabled the detection of membrane-intact Campylobacter populations that were not detected by conventional culture. These results highlight the value of advanced molecular tools such as PMA-dPCR for a more comprehensive assessment of Campylobacter contamination.
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BibTeX
@article{okada2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence and quantification of viable Campylobacter species in retail chicken: a comparative study using viability digital polymerase chain reaction and conventional culture methods}},
author = {Ayaka Okada and Aimi Fuyuki and Michihiro Shimizu and Md. Jannat Hossain and Yasuo Inoshima},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1995295},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1995295/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prevalence and quantification of viable Campylobacter species in retail chicken: a comparative study using viability digital polymerase chain reaction and conventional culture methods
AU - Ayaka Okada
AU - Aimi Fuyuki
AU - Michihiro Shimizu
AU - Md. Jannat Hossain
AU - Yasuo Inoshima
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1995295
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1995295/full
AB - Campylobacter is a major foodborne pathogen and a significant public health concern, frequently associated with the consumption of undercooked poultry. Although conventional microbiological culture remains the gold standard for detection, it often fails to detect bacteria in the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state, potentially underestimating the risk to consumers. To address this limitation, we conducted a year-long epidemiological investigation of retail chicken using propidium monoazide-digital polymerase chain reaction (PMA-dPCR). Between February 2025 and January 2026, 120 retail chicken samples were collected from three local supermarkets (10 samples per month). Comparative analysis of PMA-dPCR and conventional culture methods revealed that PMA-dPCR without enhancer yielded a higher overall detection rate (55.0%) than direct culture (43.3%) and enrichment culture (46.7%), whereas PMA-dPCR with enhancer showed a lower detection rate (33.3%). Specifically, the detection of PMA-dPCR-positive/culture-negative samples during multiple months of the study period indicated the presence of membrane-intact Campylobacter populations that may include cells in the VBNC state in the retail poultry supply chain. Although lower detection rates were observed in early spring, PMA-dPCR enabled the detection of membrane-intact Campylobacter populations that were not detected by conventional culture. These results highlight the value of advanced molecular tools such as PMA-dPCR for a more comprehensive assessment of Campylobacter contamination.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -