Salmonella culture: sampling procedures and laboratory techniques

In some respects, the multitude of options for isolation of Salmonella and the lack of interlaboratory consistency make Salmonella isolation one of the most variable procedures in veterinary laboratories. Even with the vast number of techniques available, it seems that at least one or two new media become available every year that promise to be more sensitive, more specific,and more rapid. With all the potential media and techniques available, the diagnostic laboratory must choose those that efficiently and accurately give the timely results required clinically and epidemiologically. Many veterinary diagnostic laboratories have invested the time and effort to explore these options and usually have developed standard methods to ensure that their laboratory tests have high sensitivity and specificity. Clients have greater assurance in the accuracy of laboratory results if these standards and the process of deriving them are made available to them. Many laboratories participate in external quality assurance programs to demonstrate their ability to culture microorganisms accurately. These quality control programs are designed to ensure that the client receives the correct answers to questions that are vital for the treatment and health care of their horses. This important information is available only if the initial steps of collecting and shipping the samples have been executed appropriately.