Comparison of different primers and enrichment media for the rapid detection of Salmonella using polymerase chain reaction

Salmonellosis is one of the most common food-borne diseases in both humans and animals. The recovery of Salmonella from fecal and environmental samples by bacteriological assays takes several days. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become an important technique for the rapid detection of Salmonella in a variety of samples, including feces. For rapid identification of Salmonella by PCR, 1 mL of enrichment culture was harvested after overnight incubation and DNA was extracted by heat lysis. To investigate the optimal conditions for rapid PCR detection of Salmonella, three different primer sets and three different enrichment media were used on a panel of Salmonella strains and a panel of non-Salmonella strains. The results showed that selenite cysteine enrichment broth and a primer set designed for the invA gene provided the most specific and rapid detection of Salmonella by PCR after the enrichment step.