Elevated temperature technique for the isolation of salmonellas from sewage and human faeces.

Modified Moore's swabs, placed in sewers for 5 days, were used to concentrate salmonellas from sewage. Duplicate cultures of swab strips in selenite broth were incubated at 41 and 37 degrees C. respectively. Salmonella organisms were recovered consistently from the swabs when the enrichment broths were incubated at 41 degrees C. However, when equal portions of the same swabs were incubated at 37 degrees C., only 22% of them yielded Salmonella organisms. These results indicate an advantage in incubating the selenite broths at 41 degrees C. rather than 37 degrees C. in attempting to isolate salmonellas from sewage.One hundred and fifty faecal samples were examined for salmonellas by culture in selenite broths incubated at 41 and 37 degrees C. Twelve (8%) samples were positive at 41 degrees C. compared to only 10 (6.7%) positive samples at 37 degrees C. This difference is not statistically significant to indicate an advantage of the elevated-temperature of incubation over the conventional temperature in attempting to isolate salmonellas from human faeces. Moreover, results of the recovery rates of S. paratyphi B, S. typhi, and S. typhimurium indicate that an incubation temperature of 37 degrees C. is more appropriate for recovering salmonellas from artificially infected faecal samples than an incubation temperature of 41 degrees C. This stresses the inability of laboratory studies to mimic conditions in nature.