The use of latex particle agglutination to specifically detect Salmonella enteritidis

This paper reviews the development and evaluation of a latex particle agglutination test to specifically identify cultured Salmonella enteritidis organisms. The test is based on the use of two monoclonal antibody-coated latex reagents, one of which detects the recently discovered SEF14 fimbriae expressed predominantly by S. enteritidis and S. dublin organisms, while the second reagent detects the H'p' antigen of S. dublin flagella. In a series of field trials 141 out of 142 strains of S. enteritidis from eighteen phage types were correctly identified by the latex test. A further 175 salmonella isolates representing 35 serotypes were tested and only two false-positives (S. dublin) in the latex test were recorded. This is the first rapid serotype specific test for S. enteritidis to be developed, and highlights the potential advantage of fimbrial antigens as novel diagnostic antigens of the future.