D. Coquard et al., Routine detection of Salmonella species in water: Comparative evaluation of the ISO and PROBELIA (TM) polymerase chain reaction methods, J AOAC INT, 82(4), 1999, pp. 871-876
Water is one of the main transmission routes for Salmonella spp,, the causa
tive agents of salmonellosis in humans and animals. This worldwide sanitary
problem requires rapid and accurate analyses to be realized so that adviso
ries for exposed people are timely and reliable. Because the traditional me
thod, the ISO 6340 method, does not meet the criterion of rapidity, there w
as a need for a quicker method. To fulfill this need, a comparative evaluat
ion between the ISO method and one based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
, the PROBELIA, was performed, Waters from different origins were tested ei
ther directly or after artificial contamination with selected Salmonella st
rains isolated from the environment. The results clearly demonstrate that t
he PCR-based method can advantageously replace the ISO 6340 method. It is q
uicker, less labor intensive, reproducible, and provides results that match
perfectly to those obtained by the ISO method. Furthermore, the PROBELIA m
ethod meets the requirements for an efficient sanitary survey: high numbers
of samples processed at the same time, reduced cost, and results within 2
days.