Animal Feed Contains Diverse Populations of Salmonella
By: Dr. Nikki Shariat, Assistant Professor, University of Georgia
While there are over 2,600 serotypes of Salmonella, a smaller number are commonly linked to human illness. Conventional culture-based identification culminates in selecting a small number of colonies. This poses a problem when multiple serotypes are present in a sample, as it tends to favor the most prevalent serotypes while under-identifying others.
Evaluation of the full spectrum of serotypes may allow for proactive detection of outbreaks and will facilitate greater tracking and identification of serotypes.