Detection of Campylobacter infection in chickens by monitoring volatile organics in faeces

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Campylobacter infections are the main cause of food poisoning in the UK, leading to sickness in over 300,000 people each year. These infections lead to around 15, 000 people being admitted to hospital for treatment and unfortunately close to 100 people die every year in the UK. Campylobacter accounts for a third of the cost of foodborne illness in England and Wales, and it was estimated to cost the UK approximately £583 million in 2008. Chickens are an important source of campylobacter infection in humans and chicken meat accounts for 20-30% of total human cases. Rapid detection of campylobacter in chicken flocks on farms would help identify infected chicken before slaughter; a rapid on site test would enable farmers to make informed decisions and identify best practice. Currently, conventional biological tests take up to 7 days and therefore inevitable delays for the farmer to take the appropriate action if required. We have successfully detected a number of VOCs associated with campylobacter infection using a sensor array chip. The detection of these VOCs would act as a fingerprint to confirm the presence of campylobacter and could act as a rapid screening test.