title: Incubation of supplemented egg contents pools to support rapid detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis.
abstract: Detecting internal contamination of eggs with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (Salmonella Enteritidis) is an important aspect of efforts to identify infected laying flocks. When egg contents pools are tested for Salmonella Enteritidis, a preliminary incubation step is often employed to allow small initial populations of contaminants to multiply to more easily detectable numbers. Consistent detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in egg pools by direct plating requires the presence of at least 10(5) CFU/ml, whereas some very rapid methods can require as many as 10(7) CFU/ml. The present study determined the rates at which initial inocula of approximately 10 Salmonella Enteritidis cells multiplied in 10-egg pools, some of which were supplemented with concentrated nonselective enrichment broth or with a source of iron. At 37 degrees C, Salmonella Enteritidis concentrations in supplemented egg pools usually reached 10(5) CFU/ml within 12 h and 10(7) CFU/ml by 12 to 15 h of incubation. At 25 degrees C, Salmonella Enteritidis concentrations in supplemented egg pools typically attained 10(5) CFU/ml by 18 to 27 h and 10(7) CFU/ml by 27 to 36 h of incubation. At both temperatures, Salmonella Enteritidis multiplication was significantly slower in unsupplemented pools. Accordingly, the length of incubation time necessary for consistent detection of small numbers of Salmonella Enteritidis in egg contents pools depends on the incubation temperature used, on whether the egg pools are supplemented to increase the rate of bacterial multiplication, and on the sensitivity of subsequent tests applied to the incubated pools.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, 934 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30605, USA. rgast@seprl.usda.gov
authors.forename: Richard K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gast
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Holt
mesh_terms: D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004531:Eggs / Q000382:microbiology*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005516:Food Microbiology; D012477:Salmonella enteritidis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors