Warnex have launched a quantitative test for Campylobacter for use with the real-time PCR-based Warnex™ Rapid Pathogen Detection System.

With no enrichment required, this test detects and quantifies Campylobacter in poultry rinses within 3 hours. This is the first PCR-based test available to the food industry that quantifies the amount of Campylobacter present in a sample.

Warnex's Campylobacter test detects and quantifies three species of this pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter lari, which account for 99% of reported Campylobacter illness cases.

Warnex's quantitative Campylobacter test will be commercially available in April 2006.

Three more of Warnex products have been granted "Laboratory Procedure" status by Health Canada, following independent validations by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). These tests include one for E. coli O157:H7 and two semi-quantitative tests for generic E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These semi-quantitative tests not only detect the presence of the bacteria, but also indicate whether they are present beyond a user-defined threshold. The test procedures can be found in Volume 3 of the Health Canada Compendium of Analytical Methods.