Evaluation of two new chromogenic media for detection of Salmonella in stools

A clinical collaborative study was conducted to compare two new chromogenic agar media, Rambach agar and the Salmonella Detection and Identification Medium (SMID) (bioMérieux, France), with two conventional media, Salmonella-Shigella agar and Hektoen agar. Thirty-nine Salmonella strains involving 14 serotypes were isolated from 1,454 stool specimens. After enrichment in a selective broth, 100% sensitivity was obtained with each medium. The SMID and Rambach agars are considerably more specific than the conventional media. Although SMID agar detects all Salmonella serotypes, it is not as specific as Rambach agar, which requires a complementary test (C8 esterase test) to detect all serotypes.