COMPARISON OF DETECTION OF SALMONELLA BY THE TECRA(R) UNIQUE(TM) SALMONELLA TEST AND THE MODIFIED RAPPAPORT VASSILIADIS MEDIUM

One hundred samples consisting of chicken carcass rinses, chicken part s, dust samples from chicken barns and mechanically separated turkey m eat were tested for Salmonella by pre-enrichment in modified buffered peptone water (MBPW), and then by either the Tecra(R) Unique(TM) Salmo nella test, or by cultivation for selective migration in modified semi solid Rappaport Vassiliadis (MSRV) medium. Thirty-six per cent of the samples were presumptively positive for Salmonella with the Tecra(R) t est of which one was a false positive result. Fifty-nine per cent were positive by selective migration in the MSRV medium. The Tecra(R) Uniq ue(TM) Salmonella test had a sensitivity of 59 . 3% and a specificity of 97 . 6% compared with the MSRV method. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limi ted.