The purpose of this requirement is to acquire a tri-gas incubation system to update, develop, optimize, and validate new BAM methods for detecting and quantifying thermotolerant Campylobacter in oysters. With the recent increase in Campylobacter outbreaks from raw oyster consumption, there is a need to update the current Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) method for detecting Campylobacter spp. in oysters that is 25 years old and outdated. Additionally, no methods exist to quantify the levels of Campylobacter in oysters, which would allow us to perform applied research to answer industry and policy related questions. Therefore, updated methods need to be developed, optimized, and validated to allow for the appropriate research to be performed. Campylobacter bacteria have not been cultured at the FDA’s Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory (GCSL) and require specialized equipment to create a microaerophilic (low oxygen) environment at specific temperatures to grow. There are several ways to create that microaerophilic growth environment, and the tri-gas incubation system was selected for our research because the large interior chamber size can accommodate a wide range and number of culture containers (flasks, tubes, plates, etc.), allowing for high throughput sample processing. Therefore, the tri-gas incubation system will be used for development and validation of Campylobacter laboratory methods.
