title: Overnight Enrichment is Essential for Reliable Salmonella PCR Testing from Fecal Samples.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A rapid molecular test for identifying cases of infectious diarrhea might be beneficial for patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We established a LightMix modular multiplex PCR assay for rapid detection of Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia, and Shigella species from fecal samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unlike Campylobacter sp., direct detection of Salmonella from feces by multiplex PCR was significantly less sensitive than culture. Only 11 out of 21 (52%) Salmonella culture positive specimens were positive for Salmonella in the direct multiplex PCR assay (Campylobacter: 52/53 samples [98%]). In contrast, an overnight selenite enrichment step prior to multiplex PCR increased the Salmonella assay sensitivity significantly: 18 out of 18 Salmonella culture positive samples were then also detected by PCR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An overnight enrichment step is necessary for reliable PCR detection of Salmonella from fecal samples.
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gerritzen
mesh_terms: D002167:Campylobacter; D005243:Feces; D006801:Humans; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012475:Salmonella