Quality control tests of two salmonella enrichment media using different inocula.

Inocula of polluted water naturally infected with salmonellas effectively distinguished six brands of selenite and six brands of tetrathionate enrichment media into satisfactory and unsatisfactory categories. Minimal inocula of pure cultures differentiated the tetrathionates, but not the selenites. Inocula of naturally infected chicken giblets suggested that there was a difference between two comparable brands of tetrathionate, but this was not statistically significant. The difference was, however, clearly demonstrated by minimal inocula of pure cultures. Intensive investigation of two inferior tetrathionates revealed inhomogeneity in the distribution of brilliant green in one bottle of one brand. The importance of the salmonella serotype and even the colonial variant used for the pure culture inoculum was also demonstrated.