Evaluation of four enrichment media for isolation of Campylobacter jejuni.

Diarrheal stool specimens were inoculated into the following media: alkaline peptone water (APW), Bruce-Zochowsky medium (BZ), Campylobacter enrichment broth (CEB), Campy-thio broth (CT), and Skirrow blood-agar (SK) plate. All media were incubated at 42 degrees C in microaerophilic conditions for 24 h. Afterwards, a new SK plate was inoculated from every liquid medium. Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from 43 of the 259 specimens when CT was used, from 45 when APW was used, from 46 when BZ was used, and from 46 when CEB was used; these totals include specimens that grew after enrichment only, on SK plates only, and both after enrichment and on SK plates. No significant differences were found between the isolates obtained with and without enrichment procedures.