USDA FSIS, FDA BAM, AOAC, and ISO culture methods BD BBL CHROMagar Listeria Media.

BBL CHROMagar Listeria Media (CL) was evaluated for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in raw ground beef, smoked salmon, lettuce, and Brie cheese. The recovery of L. monocytogenes on CL was compared to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), AOAC, and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) reference-plated media using the recommended pre-enrichments and selective enrichments. Of the 265 food samples tested, 140 were tested using BAM, USDA, or AOAC methods and 125 were tested using ISO methods. CL produced comparable results with the reference methods on all matrixes with a sensitivity of 99.3% and a specificity of 100%. No false negatives were found in testing the food matrixes. There was no statistical difference in recovery based on Chi-square analysis. Known isolates were evaluated, and CL had a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The results of this study demonstrate that CL is an effective medium for the recovery and detection of L. monocytogenes in raw ground beef, smoked salmon, lettuce, and Brie cheese using FDA BAM, USDA FSIS, AOAC, and ISO culture methods.