DETECTION OF SALMONELLAE AND OTHER ENTEROBACTERIACEAE BY COMMERCIAL DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC-ACID HYBRIDIZATION AND ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY KITS

Cultures of 294 Salmonella and 100 other Enterobacteriaceae isolates were comparatively analyzed by the GENE-TRAKR Salmonella Assay, the ReportR Salmonella Visual Immunoassay, and the Organon Teknika Salmonella-TekR assay. Of the Salmonella isolates, 99.0% were reactive in the GENE-TRAK assay, 98.0% were reactive in the Report assay and 100% were reactive in the Organon Teknika assay. The three strains missed by the GENE-TRAK method belonged to Salmonella subgenus V. Four of seven strains that were nonreactive by the Report assay were nonmotile isolates; some nonmotile isolates were reactive. Of the non-Salmonella isolates assayed, 6.0% were consistently positive by the Report Method and 16.0% were consistently positive by the Salmonella-Tek method, while none were consistently positive by the GENE-TRAK method. Variable assay results were obtained with 19.0% of the strains using the Report assay, 20.0% of the strains in the Salmonella-Tek assay, and 7.0% of the strains by the GENE-TRAK assay. Copyright © International Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians.