Comparison of Salmonella chromogenic medium with DCLS agar for isolation of Salmonella species from stool specimens

Chromogenic media for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A in human stool samples: evaluation in a reference setting

Detection of Salmonella Paratyphi A stool carriers by conventional stool culture media is hindered by the absence of hydrogen sulphide production compared to most other Salmonella serovars. This study evaluated the detection of Salmonella Paratyphi A in stool samples using Salmonella chromogenic media compared to a conventional medium. Four chromogenic media, COMPASS Salmonella agar (Biokar Diagnostics, Beauvais, France), BBL™ CHROMagar™ Salmonella (BD Diagnostics, Erembodegem-Aalst, Belgium), Brilliance™ Salmonella agar (Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, UK) and Salmonella PLUS CHROMagar™ (CHROMagar, Paris, France), were compared to conventional Salmonella-Shigella agar (Oxoid Ltd.). The colony morphology of 29 freshly grown stock isolates (Salmonella and competing organisms) was assessed. The limit of detection (LOD) was also determined using saline and stool suspensions. Finally, recognizability of Salmonella Paratyphi A isolates was assessed using 20 human stool samples spiked with different concentrations of Salmonella Paratyphi A. All Salmonella Paratyphi A isolates demonstrated detectable growth with typical purple-coloured colonies that could be clearly differentiated from competing organisms on all four chromogenic media. The LOD for Salmonella Paratyphi A was 10³ colony-forming units (CFU)/ml for all media, except for Brilliance agar (10⁵ CFU/ml of stool). Salmonella Paratyphi A was easy to differentiate from competing organisms in the spiked stool samples. Colony yields improved when an enrichment step (Selenite-F broth (BD Diagnostics, Erembodegem-Aalst, Belgium)) and prolonged incubation for 48 h were performed. Chromogenic media demonstrated good specificity and a low LOD for the detection of Salmonella Paratyphi A in stool samples.

Integrated SERS-Based Microdroplet Platform for the Automated Immunoassay of F1 Antigens in Yersinia pestis

The development of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based microfluidic platforms has attracted significant recent attention in the biological sciences. SERS is a highly sensitive detection modality, with microfluidic platforms providing many advantages over microscale methods, including high analytical throughput, facile automation, and reduced sample requirements. Accordingly, the integration of SERS with microfluidic platforms offers significant utility in chemical and biological experimentation. Herein, we report a fully integrated SERS-based microdroplet platform for the automatic immunoassay of specific antigen fraction 1 (F1) in Yersinia pestis. Specifically, highly efficient and rapid immunoreactions are achieved through sequential droplet generation, transport, and merging, while wash-free immunodetection is realized through droplet-splitting. Such integration affords a novel multifunctional platform capable of performing complex multistep immunoassays in nL-volume droplets. The limit of detection of the F1 antigen for Yersinia pestis using the integrated SERS-based microdroplet platform is 59.6 pg/mL, a value approximately 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive than conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. This assay system has additional advantages including reduced sample consumption (less than 100 μL), rapid assay times (less than 10 min), and fully automated fluid control. We anticipate that this integrated SERS-based microdroplet device will provide new insights in the development of facile assay platforms for various hazardous materials.

A new microfluidic approach for the one-step capture, amplification and label-free quantification of bacteria from raw samples

A microfluidic method to specifically capture and detect infectious bacteria based on immunorecognition and proliferative power is presented. It involves a microscale fluidized bed in which magnetic and drag forces are balanced to retain antibody-functionalized superparamagnetic beads in a chamber during sample perfusion. Captured cells are then cultivated in situ by infusing nutritionally-rich medium. The system was validated by the direct one-step detection of Salmonella Typhimurium in undiluted unskimmed milk, without pre-treatment. The growth of bacteria induces an expansion of the fluidized bed, mainly due to the volume occupied by the newly formed bacteria. This expansion can be observed with the naked eye, providing simple low-cost detection of only a few bacteria and in a few hours. The time to expansion can also be measured with a low-cost camera, allowing quantitative detection down to 4 cfu (colony forming unit), with a dynamic range of 100 to 107 cfu ml-1 in 2 to 8 hours, depending on the initial concentration. This mode of operation is an equivalent of quantitative PCR, with which it shares a high dynamic range and outstanding sensitivity and specificity, operating at the live cell rather than DNA level. Specificity was demonstrated by controls performed in the presence of a 500× excess of non-pathogenic Lactococcus lactis. The system's versatility was demonstrated by its successful application to the detection and quantitation of Escherichia coli O157:H15 and Enterobacter cloacae. This new technology allows fast, low-cost, portable and automated bacteria detection for various applications in food, environment, security and clinics.

Salmonella detection using 16S ribosomal DNA/RNA probe-gold nanoparticles and lateral flow immunoassay

An ultrasensitive, simple, and fast lateral flow immunoassay for Salmonella detection using gold nanoparticles conjugated with a DNA probe, which is complementary to the 16S ribosomal RNA and DNA of Salmonella, has been developed. The detection limit is 5 fmol for the synthetic single-stranded DNA. For the Salmonella cultured samples, the nucleic acids from 10(7) bacteria were rapidly detected in 30 min. After silver enhancement, the detection limit was as low as 10(4) cells which is lower than 10(5) bacteria cells, the human infective dose of food-borne Salmonella. Furthermore, the probes used in this study are specific to Salmonella compared to several other Enterobacteriaceae. This approach would be a useful tool for microbial detection regarding food safety or clinical diagnosis. It is also suitable for large-scale screening in developing countries because it is low-cost, sensitive, specific and convenient.

Clinical and economic evaluation of BBL CHROMagar Salmonella (CHROMSal) versus subculture after selenite broth enrichment to CHROMSal and Hektoen enteric agars to detect enteric Salmonella in a large regional microbiology laboratory

Stool culture for enteric pathogens is one of the most labor-intensive clinical microbiology procedures. Direct plating of stool to BBL CHROMagar Salmonella (CHROMSal) (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD) versus subculture after selenite broth enrichment (Sel) to CHROMSal (Sel-CHROMSal) and Hektoen enteric agar (Sel-Hek) (PML Microbiologicals, Eugene, OR) to detect Salmonella were compared. The number of colony picks and biochemical/serotyping tests per plate was recorded. A cost comparison was done. Fifty-one of 2999 (1.7%) stools yielded Salmonella sp., and 80% of isolates grew on CHROMSal by 24 h. CHROMSal demonstrated much less false-positive growth compared to Sel-Hek (P < 0.0001), which reduced biochemical and serotyping tests by 85% and 20%, respectively. Sel-CHROMSal and CHROMSal versus Sel-Hek improved enteric Salmonella detection when compared to a true positive "gold standard" (i.e., recovery by any culture method) with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 100% and 94.12%, 100% and 99.97%, 100% and 97.96%, and 100% and 99.90%, respectively. CHROMSal use would result in substantial cost and labor savings.

Comparison of three plating media for the isolation of Salmonella from poultry environmental samples in Great Britain using ISO 6579:2002 (Annex D)

AIMS

To evaluate the performance of three Salmonella plating media (Rambach, Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar and modified Brilliant Green Agar plus Novobiocin) as part of the ISO 6579: 2002 (Annex D) on poultry environmental samples.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The samples analysed were those for the European Union Salmonella baseline surveys of laying (N = 3087), broiler (N = 1550), turkey fattening (N = 1540) and turkey breeding (N = 580) flocks for Great Britain. Results were considered separately for Rambach (including and excluding pale orange colonies) and for growth on selective media [Modified semi-solid Rappaport Vassiliadis (MSRV)] after 24 and 48 h of incubation. Overall, Rambach was the most sensitive medium, provided that pale orange colonies were checked. In all cases, an increase in the sensitivity of detection was obtained by plating growth on MSRV after 48 h of incubation. In broilers and laying flocks, the specificity significantly improved when Rambach only was used.

CONCLUSION

The use of Rambach results in considerable savings compared with the two-plate method prescribed by ISO 6579:2002 (Annex D) without compromising sensitivity.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Salmonella isolation protocols should be reviewed in terms of their efficiency and cost.

Evaluation and implementation of a chromogenic agar medium for salmonella detection in stool in routine laboratory diagnostics

We evaluated which chromogenic agar medium for Salmonella detection in stool would be most sensitive and specific in our culture protocol. The use of BBL CHROMagar Salmonella chromogenic medium combined with xylose-lysine-deoxycholate agar yielded a sensitivity of 100% and also reduced workload and costs.

The rate of Salmonella spp. infection in zoo animals at Seoul Grand Park, Korea

Salmonellosis is an important zoonotic disease that affects both people and animals. The incidence of reptile-associated salmonellosis has increased in Western countries due to the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets. In Korea, where reptiles are not popular as pets, many zoos offer programs in which people have contact with animals, including reptiles. So, we determined the rate of Salmonella spp. infection in animals by taking anal swabs from 294 animals at Seoul Grand Park. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 14 of 46 reptiles (30.4%), 1 of 15 birds (6.7%) and 2 of 233 mammals (0.9%). These findings indicate that vigilance is required for determining the presence of zoonotic pathogen infections in zoo animals and contamination of animal facilities to prevent human infection with zoonotic diseases from zoo facilities and animal exhibitions. In addition, prevention of human infection requires proper education about personal hygiene.

Primers specific for the fimbrial major subunit gene stdA can be used to detect Salmonella enterica serovars

The feasibility of using two primers internal to the stdA gene (which encodes the fimbrial major subunit of the std fimbrial gene cluster in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi) to detect Salmonella by PCR was explored. The 518-bp stdA specific sequence was conserved among 268 strains from 45 serovars of S. enterica. One Salmonella bongori CCUG 30042 strain and 34 non-Salmonella strains did not possess this sequence. A sensitivity test revealed that the stdA-specific primer set detected 3.4 x 10(-1) pg of genomic DNA and 3.0 x 10(5) CFU/ml with serial dilutions of Salmonella Typhimurium cells. In vitro testing for specificity using pig carcass sponge samples contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium also was performed. An initial Salmonella Typhimurium inoculum of 4.4 x 10(1) CFU/ml in pig carcass exudates reached the stdA primer detection level after preenrichment in buffered peptone water at 37 degrees C for 18 h in the presence of indigenous non-Salmonella flora at 4.0 X 10(7) CFU/ml, but the detection level decreased to 4.4 x 10(0) CFU/ml after selective enrichment in Rappaport-Vassiliadis R10 broth for 18 h at 42 degrees C. The PCR method with primers specific for stdA is a quick and sensitive tool for detecting S. enterica, which is an important cause of foodborne disease.

The application of chromogenic media in clinical microbiology

Since 1990, a wide range of chromogenic culture media has been made commercially available providing useful tools for diagnostic clinical microbiology. By the inclusion of chromogenic enzyme substrates targeting microbial enzymes, such media are able to target pathogens with high specificity. Examples of target pathogens include Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Salmonella spp. and Candida spp. The inclusion of multiple chromogenic substrates into culture media facilitates the differentiation of polymicrobial cultures, thus allowing for the development of improved media for diagnosis of urinary tract infections and media for the enhanced discrimination of yeasts. The purpose of this review is to provide some insight into how such media work and appraise their utility in routine clinical diagnostics, in comparison with conventional media.

Evaluation of BBL CHROMagar O157 versus sorbitol-MacConkey medium for routine detection of Escherichia coli O157 in a centralized regional clinical microbiology laboratory

The performance of BBL CHROMagar O157 (CHROM) versus that of sorbitol-MacConkey (SMAC) media for detection of Escherichia coli O157 was determined for a 3-month period. Results for 27/3,116 (0.9%) stool cultures were positive. CHROM had a higher sensitivity (96.30%) and negative predictive value (100%) and a better diagnostic efficiency than SMAC. Labor and material costs decreased when CHROM was used.

Response of Two Salmonella enterica Strains Inoculated in Model Cheese Treated with High Hydrostatic Pressure

The aim of this work was to determine the response to high hydrostatic pressure and the ability for survival, recovery, and growth of 2 strains of Salmonella enterica (Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium) inoculated in a washed-curd model cheese produced with and without starter culture. Inoculated samples were treated at 300 and 400 MPa for 10 min at room temperature and analyzed after treatment and after 1, 7, and 15 d of storage at 12 degrees C to study the behavior of the Salmonella population. Cheese samples produced with starter culture and treated at 300 and 400 MPa showed maximum lethality; no significant differences in the baroresistant behavior of both strains were detected. Nevertheless, when starter culture was not present, the maximum lethality was only observed in cheese samples treated at 400 MPa, in the case of S. enteritidis. Ability to repair and grow was not observed in model cheese produced with starter culture and cell counts of treated samples decreased after 15 d of storage at 12 degrees C. In cheese produced without starter culture, Salmonella cells showed the ability to repair and grow during the storage period, reaching counts over 3 log(10) (cfu/mL) in both applied treatments and serotypes. These results suggest that high hydrostatic pressure treatments are effective to reduce Salmonella population in this type of cheese, but the presence of the starter culture affects the ability of this microorganism to repair and grow during the storage period.