Simple and rapid methods for detecting Salmonella enteritidis in raw eggs

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were 300,000 cases of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) in 1997. Egg products were associated with many of the cases. To address this problem, many producers implemented flock surveillance of the SE situation at their facilities. A rapid and simple method for detecting SE from poultry samples is critical for the effective implementation of such testing strategies. A lateral flow device for the detection of SE utilized in this study was manufactured by Neogen, Lansing, MI. The test panel is a presumptive qualitative test system that detects only members of Group D1 Salmonella species. A series of studies were conducted to optimize the test procedure for raw eggs with different sample preparations. A novel antigen extraction method was developed for use with the test panel kit. The detection limit of the test panel kit was increased approximately tenfold when the extraction method was used. Detection of SE was 100% in raw egg pools inoculated with 10 SE cells per ml of egg and incubated at a 1:10 ratio in buffered peptone water (BPW) or tetrathionate brilliant green broth (TBG) for 24 h at 37 °C. The developed lateral flow test kit could provide a simple, rapid, and inexpensive method for egg producers and processors to test specifically for Salmonella group D1 serovars, such as SE, in egg samples.