The use of Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Detection of Reoccuring Salmonella in Frozen Food Samples from Local Stores in Abeokuta Nigeria.

Abstract

Food-borne salmonellosis has been identified as one of the major causes of gastroenteritis worldwide. The need for more rapid and accurate techniques for the detection of food-borne pathogens has led to the development of novel molecular techniques. Though the conventional culture technique still stands as the golden standard for pathogen detection, it has proved to be laborious and takes 3 to 7 days to get a positive result. Rapid molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been developed to produce more specific, sensitive, and accurate results within a shorter period. This study was performed to detect the presence of Salmonella in beef, pork, egg, prawn and chicken samples purchased from retail stores in Abeokuta Nigeria. The presence of Salmonella was assayed using the conventional culture technique and PCR with Salmonella Enteritidis primers specific to the sefB gene. Both culture and PCR were unable to detect Salmonella from the food samples. Probable reasons for this were discussed.

Key worss: Food safety, Pathogens, Salmonella spp. Cultural methods, Polymerase chain reaction.