The detection and subspeciation of Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (CFV) from veterinary samples is important for both clinical and economic reasons. Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis is the causative agent of bovine genital campylobacteriosis, a venereal disease that can lead to serious reproductive problems in cattle, and strict international regulations require animals and animal products to be CFV-free for trade. This study evaluated methods reported in the literature for CFV detection and reports the translation of an extensively tested CFV-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer set; including the VenSF/VenSR primers and a real-time, quantitative PCR (qPCR) platform using SYBR Green chemistry. Three methods of preputial sample preparation for direct qPCR were evaluated and a heat lysis DNA extraction method was shown to allow for CFV detection at the level of approximately one cell equivalent per reaction (or 1.0 × 10(3) CFU/mL) from prepuce. The optimized sample preparation and qPCR protocols were then used to evaluate 3 western Canadian bull cohorts, which included 377 bulls, for CFV. The qPCR assay detected 11 positive bulls for the CFV-specific parA gene target. DNA sequence data confirmed the identity of the amplified product and revealed that positive samples were comprised of 2 sequence types; one identical to previously reported CFV parA gene sequences and one with a 9% sequence divergence. These results add valuable information towards our understanding of an important CFV subspeciation target and offer a significantly improved format for an internationally recognized PCR test.

The analytical method of trace toxic metals in livestock products was confirmed and validated through certified reference material (CRM) and the international proficiency tests. There are some difficulties to determine low levels of toxic metals in livestock products because of interferences due to the matrix. The recoveries of CRM (NIST 1577c) ranged from 73.9 to 119% for lead and from 86.4 to 111% for cadmium in bovine liver. The international proficiency tests were carried out with the milk powder and cocoa powder samples including metals provided by Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS∨®, UK). The test samples were prepared by microwave digestion using solution of HNO₃: H₂O₂ : H₂O (v/v/v = 5 : 2 : 4) and analyzed by ICP/MS. The analytical result of cadmium in milk powder was 121 ㎍/kg with .0.3 of the z-score compared to the assigned value of 131 ㎍/kg by FAPAS∨®. The analytical results of lead and cadmium in cocoa powder were 29.2 ㎍/kg and 97.6 ㎍/kg, respectively, which satisfied the assigned values of 34.2 ㎍/kg for lead and 126 ㎍/kg for cadmium by FAPAS∨®. It is verified that the analytical method is accurate and reliable to determine trace lead and cadmium in livestock products by microwave digestion and ICP/MS.