IMMUNOLOGICAL DETECTION OF SALMONELLA-PARATYPHI-A IN RAW PRAWNS

A slot blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using monoclonal antibodies specific only for Salmonella parafyphi A, to detect S. paratyphi A contamination in raw prawns has been established. When artificially contaminated prawn samples were tested, S. paratyphi A contamination could be identified correctly within 20 h. No false positives from samples artificially contaminated by other microorganisms were obtained. The sensitivity was such that as few as 1 S. paratyphi A organism per g of raw prawn could be detected. Therefore,the assay constituted a promising test for the rapid and specific detection of S. paratyphi A in prawns.