Addendum: ISO Culture Methods Comparative Testing of BBL CHROMagar Salmonella Prepared Plated Culture Medium

Abstract

BBL CHROMagar Salmonella (CS) was evaluated for the detection of Salmonella species compared to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 6579:2002 reference method media. Raw chicken, raw ground beef, raw fish, lettuce, and shell eggs were evaluated by an independent laboratory. Raw chicken was found to be naturally contaminated with Salmonella; all other matrixes were seeded with Salmonella at a low level. Four Salmonella serovars were used for seeding the food matrixes. A total of 120 food samples were analyzed. The detection and isolation of Salmonella on CS was compared to the ISO culture methods reference media, using the recommended pre-enrichments and selective enrichments. BBL CS produced results comparable to those of the reference methods on all matrixes, resulting in a method agreement of 100% based on the Chi-square results. Known isolates were tested and had a sensitivity of 96.8% and specificity of 94%. No false negatives were found in testing the food matrixes. The results of this study demonstrate that BBL CS is an effective medium for the recovery and detection of Salmonella in raw chicken, raw ground beef, raw fish, lettuce, and shell eggs using ISO method 6579.