Evaluation of the BAX gel and fluorometric systems for the detection of foodborne Salmonella

Evaluation of Rapid Molecular Detection Assays for Salmonella in Challenging Food Matrices at Low Inoculation Levels and Using Difficult-to-Detect Strains

Assays for detection of foodborne pathogens are generally initially evaluated for performance in validation studies carried out according to guidelines provided by validation schemes (e.g., AOAC International or the International Organization for Standardization). End users often perform additional validation studies to evaluate the performance of assays in specific matrices (e.g., specific foods or raw material streams of interest) and with specific pathogen strains. However, these types of end-user validations are typically not well defined. This study was conducted to evaluate a secondary end user validation of four AOAC-validated commercial rapid detection assays (an isothermal nucleic acid amplification, an immunoassay, and two PCR-based assays) for their ability to detect Salmonella in two challenging matrices (dry pet food and dark chocolate). Inclusivity was evaluated with 68 diverse Salmonella strains at low population levels representing the limit of detection (LOD) for each assay. One assay detected all strains at the LOD, two assays detected multiple strains only at 10 times the LOD, and the fourth assay failed to detect two strains (Salmonella bongori and S. enterica subsp. houtenae) even at 1,000 times the LOD; this assay was not further evaluated. The three remaining assays were subsequently evaluated for their ability to detect five selected Salmonella strains in food samples contaminated at fractional levels. Unpaired comparisons revealed no significant difference between the results for each given assay and the results obtained with the reference assay. However, analysis of paired culture-confirmed results revealed assay false-negative rates of 4 to 26% for dry pet food and 12 to 16% for dark chocolate. Overall, our data indicate that rapid assays may have high false-negative rates when performance is evaluated under challenging conditions, including low-moisture matrices, strains that are difficult to detect, injured cells, and low inoculum levels.

Salmonella detection in poultry meat and meat products by the Vitek immunodiagnostic assay system easy Salmonella method, a LightCycler polymerase chain reaction system, and the International Organization for Standardization method 6579

This study was conducted to evaluate the capability of the Vitek immunodiagnostic assay system easy Salmonella (VIDAS ESLM) method and a specific real-time PCR system (LightCycler, LCPCR) to complement the International Organization for Standardization Method 6579 (ISO) in detecting Salmonella from a total of 105 naturally contaminated samples comprised of poultry meat and poultry meat products. The detection limit of ISO and LCPCR was 9 cfu/mL for both poultry meat and poultry meat products, whereas that of VIDAS ESLM with both sample types was determined to be 90 cfu/mL. Twelve (33.33%), 11 (30.55%), and 18 (50.00%) out of 36 poultry meat samples were positive for Salmonella by ISO, VIDAS ESLM, and LCPCR, respectively. Salmonella detection rates from poultry meat products were 5.80% for ISO and 8.69% for LCPCR, whereas none of these products tested positive by VIDAS ESLM. In poultry meat samples, VIDAS ESLM and LCPCR detection results were in substantial agreement with ISO, with the relative accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity rates of 97.2, 91.7, and 100%, respectively, for VIDAS ESLM and 83.3, 100, and 75%, respectively, for LCPCR. This is the first report on the evaluation of both VIDAS ESLM and LCPCR to complement ISO for the rapid detection of Salmonella in poultry meat and meat products. We determined that both VIDAS ESLM and LCPCR have the potential to complement the ISO standard culture method in the rapid screening of Salmonella from naturally contaminated poultry meats. For the poultry meat products, VIDAS ESLM and LCPCR can be used for rapid primary screening, and they should be complemented absolutely by ISO. Although LCPCR can preferentially be used for initial screening poultry meat products, the results should definitely be confirmed by ISO. Also, the VIDAS ESLM did not seem to be a suitable method for detecting Salmonella in poultry meat products.

Rapid detection, characterization, and enumeration of foodborne pathogens

As food safety management further develops, microbiological testing will continue to play an important role in assessing whether Food Safety Objectives are achieved. However, traditional microbiological culture-based methods are limited, particularly in their ability to provide timely data. The present review discusses the reasons for the increasing interest in rapid methods, current developments in the field, the research needs, and the future trends. The advent of biotechnology has introduced new technologies that led to the emergence of rapid diagnostic methods and altered food testing practices. Rapid methods are comprised of many different detection technologies, including specialized enzyme substrates, antibodies and DNA, ranging from simple differential plating media to the use of sophisticated instruments. The use of non-invasive sampling techniques for live animals especially came into focus with the 1990s outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that was linked to the human outbreak of Creutzfeldt Jakob's Disease. Serology is still an important tool in preventing foodborne pathogens to enter the human food supply through meat and milk from animals. One of the primary uses of rapid methods is for fast screening of large number of samples, where most of them are expected to be test-negative, leading to faster product release for sale. This has been the main strength of rapid methods such as real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Enrichment PCR, where a primary culture broth is tested in PCR, is the most common approach in rapid testing. Recent reports show that it is possible both to enrich a sample and enumerate by pathogen-specific real-time PCR, if the enrichment time is short. This can be especially useful in situations where food producers ask for the level of pathogen in a contaminated product. Another key issue is automation, where the key drivers are miniaturization and multiple testing, which mean that not only one instrument is flexible enough to test for many pathogens but also many pathogens can be detected with one test. The review is mainly based on the author's scientific work that has contributed with the following new developments to this field: (i) serologic tests for large-scale screening, surveillance, or eradication programs, (ii) same-day detection of Salmonella that otherwise was considered as difficult to achieve, (iii) pathogen enumeration following a short log-phase enrichment, (iv) detection of foodborne pathogens in air samples, and finally (v) biotracing of pathogens based on mathematical modeling, even in the absence of isolate. Rapid methods are discussed in a broad global health perspective, international food supply, and for improvement of quantitative microbial risk assessments. The need for quantitative sample preparation techniques, culture-independent, metagenomic-based detection, online monitoring, a global validation infrastructure has been emphasized. The cost and ease of use of rapid assays remain challenging obstacles to surmount.