Salmonella is one of the food industry's most problematic food-poisoning bacteria. In 2004 the most frequently reported zoonotic diseases in humans were salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis, with the most deadly being listerious, according to a European Commission report. Eggs, poultry meat and pork are the major sources of human Salmonella infections.
Oxoid claims its DuPont lateral flow system Salmonella test has the ability to detect one colony forming unit of Salmonella in a 25g food sample within 24 hours.
The kit has it's own primary enrichment medium for testing that facilitates the recovery of sub-lethally injured and healthy cells in only five hours for more reliable results. Oxoid claims that the product worked perfectly in two controlled line tests.
Minimal training is required to effectively use the kit making it suitable for salmonella screening in both large and small laboratories. Small labs also may be interested in the claim that the kit requires no capital investment.
The kit is suitable for use with raw meat and poultry, processed meats, dairy products, eggs and other fresh produce.
The Salmonella test is part of the Oxoid's expanding range of DuPont kits. The company has kits for detecting Listeria, E. coli and other systems specifically suited for the detection of yeasts and moulds.
European consumers have become increasing concerned about food safety, mainly due to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) scare in cattle beginning in the late 1980s, a foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001 and of avian flu in 2003 and this year. Consumer concerns have in turn led to tougher regulatory action and increased surveillance of safety in food processing plants.
There were 192,703 reported cases of salmonellosis and 183,961 of campylobacteriosis cases reported during 2004 in the EU, according to a European Commission report. The incidence of salmonellosis represent 42.2 cases per 100,000 population, which represents an increase of 22 per cent when compared with 2003, indicating the higher levels encountered in the new states.