Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) is a common bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract.
Salmonella bacteria typically live in animal and human intestines and are shed through faeces. Humans become infected most frequently through contaminated water or food.
Lysine Iron Agar is a sensitive medium for the detection of lactose fermenting and lactose non-fermenting
Salmonella species. Many strains of this group ferment lactose so quickly that the expected positive reaction for hydrogen sulphide are suppressed on some media like Triple Sugar Iron Slants. So there is a possibility that these organisms found in food poisoning outbreaks could be overlooked.
The only recognised groups of Enterobacteriaceae which regularly decarboxylate lysine rapidly and which produce large amounts of hydrogen sulphide, are the salmonellae
1,2.Lysine Iron Agar is a sensitive medium for the detection of lactose-fermenting and non-lactose-fermenting salmonellae.
Typical reactions of organisms in Lysine Iron Agar:
| Cultures | Slant | Butt | H2S |
| Salmonella | Alkaline | Alkaline | + |
| Proteus | Red | Acid | - |
| Providencia | Red | Acid | - |
| Citrobacter | Alkaline | Acid | + |
| Escherichia | Alkaline | Acid or neutral | - |
| Shigella | Alkaline | Acid | - |
| Klebsiella | Alkaline | Alkaline | - |
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