ISOLATION OF SALMONELLA FROM POULTRY TISSUE AND ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES- A NATIONWIDE SURVEY

A nationwide survey of veterinary laboratories culturing poultry tissu e and environmental samples for Salmonella found a large variation in isolation procedures. There were 17 different selective enrichment med ia or combinations of enrichment media being used for poultry tissue s amples. Variations were found in how long the selective enrichments we re incubated and in the temperature of incubation. There were 14 diffe rent plating media being used. Many laboratories screen and identify o nly one colony from the plating media. For the protection of poultry b reeding and hatchery organizations and with the formation of official poultry monitoring programs, with their legal and public health implic ations, it becomes increasingly important that diagnostic laboratories adopt minimal standardized protocols far isolating Salmonella.