Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coliare common causes of gastroenteritis in humans. Infection with C. jejuni or C. coli is commonly acquired by eating undercooked chicken. The goal of this study was to develop specific detection assays for C. jejuni and C. coliisolates based on the cadF virulence gene and its product. The cadF gene from C. jejuni and C. coli encodes a 37-kDa outer membrane protein that promotes the binding of these pathogens to intestinal epithelial cells. A fragment of approximately 400 bp was amplified from 38 of 40 (95%) C. jejuni isolates and 5 of 6 (83.3%) C. coli isolates with primers designed to amplify an internal fragment of thecadF gene. PCR was then used to amplifyCampylobacter DNA from store-bought chickens. A 400-bp band was amplified from 26 of the 27 chicken carcasses tested by the PCR-based assay. The CadF protein was detected in every C. jejuni and C. coli isolate tested, as judged by immunoblot analysis with a rabbit anti-C. jejuni 37-kDa serum. In addition, methanol-fixed samples of whole-cell C. jejuni and C. coli were detected with the rabbit anti-37-kDa serum by using an indirect-immunofluorescence microscopy assay. These findings indicate that the cadF gene and its product are conserved among C. jejuni and C. coli isolates and that a PCR assay based on the cadFgene may be useful for the detection of Campylobacterorganisms in food products.
Many experts are predicting work force changes of massive proportions by the year 2000. Already, feminisation is transforming the way employers treat their employees. Companies are realising that nearly half of all workers today are women, up from 33% only 20 years ago. And two‐thirds of the 15 million new entrants into the job market through 1995 will be women according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: and in terms of sheer numbers, they will have more influence than ever before.
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