Evaluation of a polymerase chain reaction-based test for detecting Salmonella spp. in food samples: Probelia Salmonella spp.

A commercially available polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit was evaluated for the detection of Salmonella spp. in food samples. The test combines PCR amplification and sandwich hybridization of the amplified DNA in microtiter plates. The sensitivity and specificity was evaluated with 52 Salmonella strains and 51 non-Salmonella strains and showed that the test was entirely reliable. The threshold sensitivity was 10(2) CFU/ml. The limit of detection of dead cells that determines the minimum detection level of dead cells in food samples was superior to 10(6) CFU/25 g, a level rarely achieved in naturally contaminated samples. After an 18-h pre-enrichment step, the test could detect viable Salmonella in artificially contaminated food samples, even for the lower contamination level (3 CFU/25 g). There was complete agreement between the PCR test and the ISO 6579 bacteriological reference method with artificially contaminated samples. Regarding the accuracy of the results obtained from 253 naturally or noncontaminated foods and from 32 artificially contaminated foods, the agreement percentage was 99.6%. The fidelity of the technique was evaluated in a collaborative study with eight European laboratories and showed a correlation of 98.4%.