Rapid Detection of Salmonella spp. in Foods by Combination of a New Selective Enrichment and a Sandwich ELISA Using Two Monoclonal Antibodies against Dulcitol 1-Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Abstract

A rapid-detection method was developed for food-borne dulcitol-positive Salmonella spp. in foods that involves a new preenrichment and selective enrichment system and a sandwich ELISA using two monoclonal antibodies against dulcitol 1-phosphate dehydrogenase. Preenrichment and selective enrichment were in Enterobacteriaceae enrichment mannitol (EEM) broth at 42°C for 6 h and in a new dulcitol-magnesium chloride-pyridinesulfonic acid brilliant green-novobiocin (DMPBN) medium at 42°C for 27 h, respectively. The cells were collected from the selective enrichment culture and suspended in 0.1 ml of 1 N NaOH for 2 min. The solution was neutralized with 0.1 ml of 2 M Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) and the mixture was used as a sample for ELISA. The detection sensitivity of the ELISA was 105 CFU of Salmonella spp. per ml of culture. Competing non-Salmonella organisms in raw food did not interfere with the detection of Salmonella cells even when present at 107: 1 (non-Salmonella: Salmonella ratio) in food. Nonmotile Salmonella gallinarum was detected by the ELISA. The minimum detectable number of initial inoculum of Salmonella typhimurium was 0.69 CFU/25 g of raw chicken after the preenrichment in EEM broth and the selective enrichment in DMPBN medium. The present ELISA method required a total analysis time of 36 h including the preenrichment and selective enrichment periods. The ELISA method was compared with a conventional cultural method for the detection of Salmonella cells in 130 samples of raw foods. Of the samples tested, 16 were Salmonella-positive and 114 samples were negative by both methods. False-positive and false-negative results were not encountered.