What is Salmonella?

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 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A free guide to Salmonella test methods for food testing laboratories

The ingestion of 10-100 cells can constitute a human infectious dose. Lower cell numbers can still 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.

Applications

Despite the general perception that poultry and egg products are the primary source of Salmonella infections, many outbreaks in recent years have been associated with fresh produce, peanut butter, and sprouted seeds. Other affected foods include raw meat, powdered infant formula, milk and dairy products, fish, seafood, salad dressing, cake mixes and chocolate.

Solutions

We offer a wide range of products and solutions for the detection, enumeration, and identification of Salmonella in foods and associated sample types.