Comparison of Rambach agar, SM-ID medium, and Hektoen Enteric agar for primary isolation of non-typhi salmonellae from stool samples.
Stool samples (n = 504) were streaked simultaneously onto Rambach agar (R agar; E. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany), SM-ID medium (bioMérieux S.A., Montalieu-Vercieu, France), and Hektoen Enteric (HE) agar (BBL Becton-Dickinson, Baltimore, Md.) in order to evaluate the performances of the first two media in comparison with that of the well-established HE agar. Following overnight cultivation at 37 degrees C, 29 samples (5.8%) were positive for non-typhi salmonellae on at least one of the three media. Sensitivities and specificities were 69 and 98%, 79 and 85%, and 100 and 79% for R, SM-ID, and HE agars, respectively. On the basis of the poor sensitivities, R and SM-ID agars are not recommended as primary plating media when screening for non-typhi salmonellae. However, the high specificity of R agar may help to reduce the work load when this medium is used for plating after enrichment.
Dusch
H
H
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Altwegg
M
M
D000362:Agar; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003470:Culture Media; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D012475:Salmonella / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D003470:Culture Media; D000362:Agar