Impediometric detection of Campylobacter coli

Abstract

The rapid automated bacterial impedance technique (RABIT) was examined as a method for the detection of two wild-type isolates of Campylobacter coli in broth media. Both isolates failed to produce a change in impedance that was sufficient for detection in any combination of six nonselective basal broth media, including Mueller-Hinton broth, nutrient broth no. 2, brain heart infusion broth supplemented with yeast extract (0.5% [wt/vol]), brucella broth, Campy broth supplemented with yeast extract (0.5% [wt/vol]), and Whitley impedance broth, at 37 and 42°C. Although the strains did proliferate in the media, changes in conductivity were very small (ranging from 0 to 1,000 μS) and were not significantly greater than the drift in conductance observed in the control broth medium. Additional work is therefore required to define a nonionic growth substrate that will produce charged ions upon metabolism that are detectable by RABIT.