Simple Test Provides Fast Way To Detect Salmonella Contamination

U.S. researchers have come up with a quick, more accurate way to detect dangerous Salmonella bacteria in food samples. Using artificially contaminated food, the researchers used Salmonella-specific antibodies coupled with a signal amplification technique (tyramide signal amplification) after only 15 hours, instead of the two to three days it takes using a Petri dish culture. The test provides a simple monitoring system for foodborne pathogens, especially in beef and poultry. Contamination of food with pathogens causes 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually in the U.S.