Development of a multi-pathogen enrichment broth for simultaneous growth of five common foodborne pathogens

The objective of the present study was to formulate a multi-pathogen enrichment broth which could support the simultaneous growth of five common foodborne pathogens (Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7). The formulated broth SSSLE was composed of potassium tellurite, bile salt, lithium chloride, and sodium chloride as growth-inhibitors; glucose, esculin, mannitol and sodium pyruvate as growth-promoters. Compared with the respective specific selective enrichment broths, the individual growth pattern of each target pathogen in SSSLE was equal, or even better, except in the case of S. flexneri. In mixed-culture experiments, the gram-negative bacteria showed higher growth capabilities than the gram-positive bacteria after 8-h enrichment; however, the cell numbers after 24-h enrichment indicated that SSSLE could support the concurrent growth of five target pathogens irrespective of whether pathogens were inoculated initially at equal or unequal levels. For natural food samples under the high background flora, the final cell numbers enriched in SSSLE for five targets were enough to be detected by multiplex PCR. In conclusion, SSSLE was capable of supporting the growth of five target pathogens concurrently. The new broth formulated in this study has the potential of saving time, efforts and costs in multi-pathogen enrichment procedures.