![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://bollspel.com/improving-campylobacter-testing-labs-have-room-for-improvement/&media=https://bollspel.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5434-improving-campylobacter-testing-labs-have-room-for-improvement.png&description="Learn how labs can improve their Campylobacter testing to ensure accurate and reliable results. Discover strategies for enhancing testing processes and reducing the risk of contamination in this informative post."){kind=link}
Only one laboratory received a top score as part of a Campylobacter testing exercise, indicating that there is room for improvement.
In 2018, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to provide an external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for the detection and enumeration of Campylobacter from a simulated matrix representing uncooked chicken.
It was available to 20 laboratories in the UK that provided an accredited test for Campylobacter in foods. At the time, there was no reliable test to identify the pathogen.
The EQA ran from March 2019 to November 2021, due to COVID-19 disruption. A total of 39 samples were sent; 26 for enumerating the levels of Campylobacter, if detected, and 13 for detection of the organism.
An EQA provides labs with an independent external assessment of their performance. Regular participation is part of quality procedures and helps to ensure that results of tests are accurate. It also gives assurance for clients.
The main findings of the assessment:
Campylobacter strains chosen to simulate food samples varied and contained common species such as jejuni, lari, and coli. High levels of background organisms were included to simulate the contents of raw chicken.
There was variation in the enumeration results reported, even though all labs claimed the same method was used.
Labs had acceptable or questionable results for at least 80 percent of samples examined for enumeration or detection of Campylobacter. This shows that they can undertake testing for pathogens in foods using both methods, according to the report.
Only one lab reported all their counts within the expected range, achieving an overall performance of 100 percent for all the distributions and samples examined.
“Regular EQA participation will allow laboratories to keep a check with any changes to operating conditions such as media, staffing levels. Addressing gaps identified through an EQA will help ensure that public health incidents are detected early and managed effectively,” said the report.
Meanwhile, UK authorities have published an annual report with sampling and analysis on levels of radioactive substances in food and the environment.
Monitoring activities are designed or undertaken by the Environment Agency, FSA, Food Standards Scotland, Northern Ireland Environment Agency,