The genus Salmonella belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Salmonella are Gram-negative, non-spore forming rods. There are over 2,500 serovars of Salmonella, which are characterized according to somatic (O) and flagellar (H) antigens.
Salmonellosis is the most frequently reported cause of foodborne illness. An estimated one million cases occur annually in the United States; of these, approximately 35,000 are laboratory-confirmed cases reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The ingestion of 1-10 cells can constitute a human infectious dose. Low cell numbers can be highly infectious, especially in high fat foods where the microorganism can escape the gastric acidity and be released in the intestine through bile mediated dispersion of the lipids.
Despite the general perception that chicken and egg products are the primary source of Salmonella infections, many outbreaks in recent years have been associated with tomatoes, peanut butter, and vegetable sprouts. Other affected foods include raw meat, powdered infant formula, milk and dairy products, fish, shrimp, salad dressing, cake mixes and chocolate.
Salmonella test options
The detection of Salmonella in foods before they are consumed is vital for safeguarding public health, and essential for preserving the financial health and reputation of food businesses. Testing options include the ISO, USDA, and FDA reference methods and alternative, validated and certified Thermo Scientific™ methods:
ISO 6579-1:2017 Standard Method
A culture media-based standard reference method cited in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 and other national regulations and guidelines.
FDA BAM Chapter 5 - Salmonella Culture Method
A culture media-based standard reference method cited in the U.S Food & Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual.
USDA FSIS MLG 4.13 - Isolation and Identification of Salmonella - Rapid Screening Salmonella Test Standard Method
A culture-media based standard reference method cited in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook (MLG) Method Number 4.13.
Thermo Scientific™ SureTect™ Salmonella species PCR Assay Method
A rapid real-time PCR method for the enrichment, detection and confirmation of Salmonella species in food, feed products and environmental samples Continue reading...
Thermo Scientific™ SureCount™ Salmonella Species, Typhimurium and Enteritidis Multiplex PCR Assay Method
A rapid method for the detection, quantification and differentiation of Salmonella species, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Salmonella Enteritidis in meat, poultry and pork samples. Continue reading...
Thermo Scientific™ RapidFinder™ Salmonella species, Typhimurium and Enteritidis Multiplex PCR Assay Method
A rapid method for the enrichment, detection and confirmation of Salmonella species, Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis in raw pork and poultry, ready-to-eat and ready-to-reheat pork and poultry, production environment samples and primary production samples (PPS). Continue reading...
Thermo Scientific™ SureTect™ Salmonella Infantis PCR Method
Designed specifically for Salmonella Infantis control programs in poultry production, the SureTect™ Salmonella Infantis PCR Assay, in combination with the RapidFinder Salmonella Multiplex PCR Kit, offers a complete solution for identification of Salmonella Spp. and the top three serotypes of relevance: S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, and S. Infantis. Continue reading...
Thermo Scientific™ Salmonella Precis™ Method
A quick and easy method for the enrichment, detection and confirmation of Salmonella species from a broad range of foods, animal feed and environmental samples. Continue reading...
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A free guide to Salmonella test methods for food testing laboratories
Choosing the most suitable method to address your laboratory’s Salmonella test needs can feel overwhelming with so many workflows available. In this handy guide you’ll find a simple outline of the ISO and USDA reference standards for Salmonella testing. In addition, the guide covers details of alternative PCR and culture-based methods for Salmonella testing.
Featured applications
Visible selective enrichment of Salmonella and Cronobacter species
In your busy Salmonella and Cronobacter testing workflows, there is no time for error. A common mistake, particularly in high throughout labs, is the accidental omission or duplication of adding a selective supplement during sample preparation. For clearer selective enrichment of food and environmental samples, the new Thermo Scientific Oxoid PrecisBlue Supplement has been specifically designed to reduce workflow errors. The addition of an inert blue dye provides a clear visual reference, enabling easy identification of supplemented samples.
Reduce the risk of human error in your PCR-based Salmonella testing
Mistakes in your PCR workflow can lead to false-positive or false-negative results, compromising the accuracy and reliability of the test. With the Thermo Scientific™ SureTect™ Automation Workflow you can take your PCR-based Salmonella testing to the next level with automated lysis and PCR setup. Utilizing the CyBio™ FeliX Instrument, the automated workflow allows you to reduce hands-on time whilst increasing the accuracy and reproducibility of results.
Rapid Salmonella detection and serotyping in poultry
Designed specifically for Salmonella control programs in poultry production, the Thermo Scientific™ RapidFinder™ Salmonella Multiplex PCR Kit, in combination with the new SureTect™ Salmonella Infantis PCR Assay, allow for rapid and robust detection and serotyping of Salmonella strains that are of greatest public health concern in raw poultry products: S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis and S. Infantis.
Salmonella control you can count on
Simultaneously quantify & type with the innovative Thermo Scientific™ SureCount™ Salmonella species, Typhimurium and Enteritidis PCR Kit method. A simple, all-in-one solution designed to give you quantification and serotype results for the most common pathogenic Salmonella strains associated with meat and poultry matrices.
Articles & more
 | Food for thought: Advancing food safety with PCR-based Salmonella screeningEnsuring food safety and quality is pivotal in the food industry. Salmonella, a persistent foodborne pathogen, poses a continuous threat to public health and business reputation. Recent advances in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology are revolutionizing detection and management of this hazard. In this entry of Food for Thought, we discuss why PCR-based Salmonella screening makes economic sense, especially in light of the latest USDA regulation updates. |
 | Food for thought: Why PCR-based Salmonella screening makes the best economic senseThanks to its speed and accuracy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing is changing the face of Salmonella screening. Yet despite its well-documented benefits, many laboratories have been put off by the perception that PCR is expensive to adopt and complex to conduct. |
 | Food for thought: Taking Salmonella prevention back to basics with five lessons from recent outbreaksWe know that food testing laboratories take their responsibility to screen their products for potentially dangerous pathogens seriously. But with so much on the line, from public health to brand reputation, we can never be too careful. That’s why we’re taking you back to basics with our five top tips for Salmonella prevention, based on what we’ve learnt from recent outbreaks. |
 | Food for thought: Keeping Salmonella out of the food chainDespite our understanding of how Salmonella proliferate in our food manufacturing processes, the bacteria still cause millions of illnesses and hundreds of deaths every year. In this special Spotlight, we take a deep dive into Salmonella, its serotypes and prevalence, and how to keep it out of your facilities, your products, and your customers. |
 | Faster path to actionable answers for poultry producersThermo Fisher Scientific’s test is the first validated multiplex PCR workflow for the most common – and dangerous – Salmonella serotypes offers a multi-target approach that can cuts costs, reduces delays, and increases confidence for poultry and pork producers. |
 | Latest validation offers food laboratories additional layer of confidence when testing for SalmonellaThe SureTect Salmonella Species PCR Assay has been granted AOAC Official Method Analysis (OMA) status. |
 | Streamlined Salmonella testing drives efficiencies, enables flexibility, and solves problemsExtended validation of the Thermo Scientific Salmonella Precis Method simplifies workflows and encompasses challenging food matrices.A quick and easy culture-based method for detection of Salmonella species has been validated for the broadest range of food, animal feed, and environmental samples, and is ready to slot into standard laboratory workflows. |
Webinars
Title | Webinar details | Date first presented | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A serotype-specific PCR method for detecting Salmonella spp. in poultry | In this webinar, Dr. Frieda Jørgensen, Senior Scientist, Health Protection England, outlines the current investigation of Salmonella Enteritidis, sharing how the Thermo Scientific™ RapidFinder™ Salmonella multiplex PCR test enables rapid detection of contaminated products. Jørgensen highlights how this method can be applied to primary and secondary enrichments, as well as for the confirmation of isolates, and was especially important in analyzing products that were co-contaminated with other serovars where the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis was realized only as a result of the PCR. | This webinar was originally hosted by Select Science on May 20, 2021. | |
 | Impact of Salmonella on the Global Meat and Poultry Supply Chain | Join Erin Crowley, Chief Scientific Officer at Q Laboratories, Inc., and Martin Wiedmann, Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety at Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as they present an overview of the global impact of Salmonella to the meat and poultry supply chain and look at the validation of molecular detection and serotyping methods for microbiology in food. | This webinar was originally hosted by Select Science in September 30, 2020. | |
View all Food Safety and Authenticity webinars at the link below: