Secondary selective enrichment of salmonellae from naturally contaminated specimens by using a selective motility system.

A selective motility medium was used as a secondary selective enrichment medium to examine specimens naturally contaminated with salmonellae. The medium, incubated at 37 degrees C, was inoculated from either selenite brilliant green sulfa enrichment broth or Müller-Kauffman tetrathionate broth, both of which had been incubated at 42 degrees C. The use of the selective motility medium resulted in an increase in the number of positive specimens from 65 and 74% to 80 and 82%, when inoculated at 24 and 48 h, respectively, from tetrathionate broth. Tetrathionate broth, when used singly, was significantly better than selenite brilliant green sulfa broth, which detected 55% of positive specimens at both 24 and 48 h. The use of the selective motility medium of Harper and Shortridge (J. Hyg. 67: 181--186, 1969) for the further examination of specimens culturally negative on primary selective enrichment is advocated.