EVALUATION OF 2 NEW CHROMOGENIC MEDIA FOR DETECTION OF SALMONELLA IN STOOLS

A clinical collaborative study was conducted to compare two new chromo genic agar media, Rambach agar and the Salmonella Detection and Identi fication Medium (SMID) (bioMerieux, France), with two conventional med ia, Salmonella-Shigella agar and Hektoen agar. Thirty-nine Salmonella strains involving 14 serotypes were isolated from 1,454 stool specimen s. After enrichment in a selective broth, 100 % sensitivity was obtain ed with each medium. The SMID and Rambach agars are considerably more specific than the conventional media. Although SMID agar detects all S almonella serotypes, it is not as specific as Rambach agar, which requ ires a complementary test (C8 esterase test) to detect all serotypes.