Overview
ISO 10273:2017 - Microbiology of the food chain: Horizontal method for the detection of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica defines a standardized laboratory method for detecting pathogenic Y. enterocolitica associated with human disease. The standard is applicable to products intended for human consumption, animal feed, and environmental samples in food production and handling areas. It is the third edition (2017) and updates previous editions with clarified confirmation criteria and revised culture and enrichment procedures.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and definition: Specifies detection (presence/absence) of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and defines pathogenic strains according to biochemical and molecular confirmation criteria.
- Test principle: Horizontal method combining direct plating, liquid enrichment, selective plating, and confirmation of suspect colonies.
- Enrichment and plating: Procedures include enrichment in peptone-based and selective broths (e.g., PSB, ITC) and plating onto selective media such as CIN agar; KOH treatment prior to plating is described as the mandatory route with an optional direct inoculation.
- Confirmation: Mandatory tests focus on pathogenicity-related properties; biochemical confirmation can be replaced by real-time PCR detection of the ail gene in accordance with ISO/TS 18867. Some traditional biochemical tests are now optional or updated.
- Optional procedures: Cold-enrichment procedure is included (Annex D) for difficult matrices.
- Quality and performance: Annexes provide composition/preparation of culture media (Annex B), performance characteristics and validation data (Annex C), and diagrams of procedures (Annex A). The standard emphasizes laboratory competence, biosafety, and media quality control.
- Updates in 2017 edition: Removal of the term “presumptive” (pathogenicity tests moved to frontline), addition of direct plating on CIN, replacement of SSDC with CIN, and expanded validation/performance information.
Applications and practical value
- Ensures consistent, reproducible detection of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica across food testing laboratories.
- Supports food safety testing, regulatory compliance, outbreak investigations, supplier verification, and environmental monitoring in food production and handling facilities.
- Useful for laboratories validating new media or integrating molecular confirmation (PCR) into workflows.
- Enhances comparability of results between laboratories and jurisdictions, aiding risk assessment and public health responses.
Who should use it
- Food and feed microbiology laboratories
- Public health and regulatory agencies
- Food producers, QA/QC teams, and contract testing labs
- Method developers validating culture media and molecular assays
Related standards
- ISO 6887 series (sample preparation)
- ISO 7218 (general microbiology requirements)
- ISO 11133 (culture media production and testing)
- ISO/TS 18867 (real-time PCR detection of Y. enterocolitica ail gene)
Keywords: ISO 10273:2017, Yersinia enterocolitica detection, microbiology of the food chain, horizontal method, CIN agar, enrichment, confirmation tests, food safety.